The Book of Genesis
by Reizo Myu
Summary: Deirdre Brookes never thought she would fall in love after the incedent and made a vow never to get close to a crazy again. But as her work at Arkham Asylum increases, so does her interest in the mysterious Jonathan Crane. Jonathan/OC. Enjoy! R/R pleasies
1. Preface

A/N: I Do Not Own Batman. Okay, you've voted, here it is. Jonathan Crane/OC Fanfiction. Yep, that was fast because I was excited to be writing. This story takes place after Batman Begins and TDK so, for those who don't understand, I'll explain. With so many corrupt people in the Narrows and only one man seemingly capable of running Arkham Asylum the police felt they had no choice but to take Mister Crane out of the cells as an inmate and return him to his position as director, much to his smug joy. Under the conditions, of course, that he take meds for his Schizophrenia and swear on his life not to return to his old business as the Scarecrow. Too bad Johnny boy ain't one for taking orders. Anyways, this is going to work different than A Little Parody. In fact, in this little universe, A Little Parody hasn't even happened. Sorry, different time and place. It's going to actually begin before the relationship and work into it. Also, this story revolves around these two. Jonathan and the girl. So, we'll hear a lot from both. Also, the preface and the first chapter are actually years apart. To answer the question I'm sure you all have, no, they don't remember each other. Sorry it's short but, smaller is sweeter so, enjoy what's there. So, to quote a very sexy man, "And here… we… go."

* * *

**PREFACE**

I was walking home from school, whistling happily. In these times, it was actually okay to walk the streets of Gotham by yourself. Especially if you were a little girl coming back from elementary school. Suddenly, I heard the familiar laughter of my classmates and turned around.

A boy was on the sidewalk, older than me, and I ran over to see what was the matter.

The children around him were laughing and I recognized quite a few of them.

Amber, Melissa, Tommy, and Brad were the first ones I noticed.

As I got closer, I recognized the tall, skinny boy on the ground. Fourth graders were cruel. And Jonny's face was bleeding.

"What are you guys doing?" I demanded. Amber was still giggling.

"Jonny here is the poorest kid in town. Can't even afford new shoes." Brad snickered. I glared at him, bending down and letting Jonny take hold of my hand. I could see the tears in his eyes and prayed no one would notice. Of course, they did.

"He's crying!" another girl shrieked in laughter, one next to Tommy.

I pulled Jonny up and he jerked his hand away, brushing himself off and bending to recover his books. It was a little daunting, even with his worn shoes, he was at least a foot taller than me. He was so tall for a boy in our grade.

He started walking off while I helplessly watched. The other kids taunted him again and he stopped dead, only three feet away.

"Stupid ol' scarecrow, thin sack of bones!" they yelled. A chant I was familiar with. I saw Jonny start to shake then turn, angry and yelling. I cringed. I'd never seen him yell.

"You'll all see! One day you won't be able to pick on me! You'll be scared of me!" he shouted. I saw one of his dirty, short sleeves come up and brush his tears away while the other kids laughed, obviously disbelieving of his words.

"And you!" he turned on me, yelling. I wanted to take my little braided pigtails and pull on them, as if it would make me disappear. "I don't need your help! I'll never need it and you can go off with your other friends and laugh! I don't want your pity DeeDee!" he yelled. God I hated that nickname and it sounded awful when other kids said it. The teachers called me that because they couldn't pronounce my real name. I guess Jonny never really knew.

I flinched, pushing my glasses up and scrunching my nose.

"I'll see you in school Jonny." I said softly, turning to run home, hearing the children shout out my own name behind me.

"DeeDee, DeeDee!" laughter. I hated it. But I still felt bad for Jonny.

That was the only name I ever knew him by, Jonny. And we rarely spoke after that, only yelled like that day if we bumped into each other. And after elementary school, I never paid any more attention. I was through with pity for him. But on the walk home that day, I cried for him. Their words echoed in my mind as I readjusted my reading glasses.

_Stupid ol' scarecrow._


	2. It's too Close for Comfort

A/N: I don't own Batman, it belongs to DC. Anyways, I'd like to tell you, I chose the name of this girl for a reason. I shall reveal next chapter. I would also like to mention now that it has taken me a long time to figure out what I was going to call my next story. Well, the title's up there. Enjoy it You find out why I've called it such in chapter fifteen, yes I've written it already and don't ask. It's a surprise.. Also, I would like you to know, that I'm striving not to make this too much like A Little Parody. Their speaking is much more intelligent and, whereas in my other story the characters had to go through a lot to get where they are, the chemistry is supposed to be obvious from the start. Oh, yes, Harley is in this story. My charrie needs a friend.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

_It's too Close for Comfort_

_~Disturbia, __**Rihanna**_

Jonathan Crane was, by far, the most infuriating man I'd ever met.

He had hired me no less then two months ago. I was 'acceptable' because I'd skipped eighth grade and graduated college _and _high school early. What, were all the other doctor's here geniuses?

I was in my office taking notes on my newest patient. So far, my life at Arkham was becoming a success. But whatever had possessed Jonathan to give me this case was beyond me and, to be frank, I didn't want to question it.

Victor Zsasz was interesting as hell. He had made several comments about me that I'd recorded carefully. Mainly, he told me how he was going to get his hands around my pretty little neck one day. Another thing to worry about should there be another break out.

I reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear only to find that there was nothing there, as usual. Again I contemplated taking it out of the messy bun.

A memory flashed in my mind, me screaming on the floor as someone ripped hairpins from my head, tearing out strands in the process.

I was very glad there hadn't been time for the state to put that on my file. There was no way Crane would have let me on this case if he had read that. And even if it had gotten there, I knew that Harleen would help me erase it. The girl was a genius.

"Zsasz is violent, angry. I believe he has a history of abuse, if not from a family member, from a member of that mob he worked as a hit man for." I said softly, talking as I wrote. It filled the empty space of silence.

I jolted slightly when someone sounded their opinion on my action from the doorway.

"Doctor, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." the always cool voice said. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. If I still acted like an average college student, how were people supposed to take me seriously?

"Well, Doctor Crane, I am aware of that fact. But I am merely voicing thoughts aloud, not to myself." I said, eyeing my notes pointedly and looking back at him. Damn that man, looking relaxed no matter what he was doing.

He was wearing another one of those fancy suits, the kind of clothes I would never be able to afford in my wildest dreams. Arrogance was plain on his face, something that irked me.

"I wanted to inquire as to your attendance at the Arkham staff meet tonight." he said. His voice held such authority in it, it seemed to explode with power despite the genuine quiet quality to it.

"I don't see why we call it a staff meet if we all know it's a festivity. Are we always supposed to hold an air of superiority about these inmates?" I asked, not giving an answer. Knowledge flickered in his eyes and I inwardly swore. He knew I was avoiding the subject.

"You dislike holding the position of power over them?" he questioned, his voice slightly disbelieving. I was only a little relieved that he had overlooked my evasion of the subject of the gala.

"I dislike making them think we're so much better than them. They kill, we lock up and treat to electrical shock pulses." I said easily, gathering my notes and pushing them into my personal file. I opened a cabinet at my desk and put it carefully in, shutting it immediately and standing.

"Only the mind can grant you power in here Doctor Brookes. You would do well to learn that these people will often try to use brute force. Especially those with the likes of Victor Zsasz." he said. I inwardly groaned. Doctor Brookes sounded so… professional. I didn't feel professional.

"Doctor, as you are my superior, it is priority for me to refer to you as Doctor. You, however, may call me Deirdre if you wish so." I said.

"Does that mean you wish so?" he asked, even though I was sure he knew exactly what I'd meant.

"I wish for you to do as you please. I simply thought that, calling me by my given name, it would make things between us more comfortable." I said. His next sentence caught me with surprise as I shrugged a jacket over my sweater-clad body.

"If you yearn to make things more comfortable between us, you could answer my first question." he said. I sighed.

"Yes, Doctor Crane, I am attending the staff gathering tonight." I said.

"Are you going alone?" he asked. I almost raised a brow but I saw he was doing the same and realized he might think I was mocking him.

"Doctor, are you asking me to attend with a date?" I asked. I didn't want to use what my mind was dreading.

"I'm inquiring as to whether or not you would be available to come with me."

I froze. Jonathan Crane was the kind of man you did not say 'no' to. Not because of his looks, which admittedly weren't anything to complain about, but because of his intimidation. Everyone knew of his criminal past and, it occurred to me, that saying no might be a mistake.

"I, currently, do not have a partner to come with." I said softly.

"So, should I come by your house at six?" he asked.

"You know where I live?" I asked quietly, wondering how he'd gotten that information in the first place.

"I read your resume. You were required to fill out that information which you did." he explained. I nodded, answering his question.

"You're leaving?" he asked.

"I'm was off the clock and hour ago and stayed. It's only an hour until the party tonight and I want to look presentable." I said.

"Allow me to escort you to your car."

"Very well."

The walk down the several flights of stairs and to the parking lot was long and silent. I felt tense and didn't notice the puddle that I slipped in until I fell, walking out the door. Crane was immediately kneeling, helping me up.

My face felt hot with embarrassment.

"Going for a swim in that puddle Doctor?" he asked, amused.

"I doubt it. I never learnt that particular skill." I admitted. My parents had always been to busy to teach me and I hadn't had many friends. I had never even set foot in a pool and the on time I had taken a trip to the beach I had only let my feet in the water.

"My car is right here." I said. Indicating that he needn't walk any further. Of course, that bastard was the only gentleman in town and opened my door, even going so far as to gently place a hand on my back and help me in.

Then, as I shut the door, he tapped on the glass. Annoyed, I rolled it down and saw him lean down, his glasses removed. I had never noticed before but, his eyes were startlingly gorgeous.

Where had that thought come from?

"I'll see you tonight." he said. Flashing me something I'd never seen before, a smile, he put his hands behind his back and started strolling back to the building.

He was so haughty it made me sick.

Anyways, time to get home.

* * *

I straightened my bow tie in the mirror of the car. I wanted to make her think I was attempting to dress nicely. Though I knew I would look idiotic should she get it in her mind to dress plainly, something that Miss Brookes' attitude assured me that there was a possibility.

I walked over to her apartment building and opened the door, thinking to myself that she was in 3C.

_Sure you're not trying to impress her Jonny? _Scarecrow snickered. I almost shuddered at the idea. Were I not her superior, effectively making me the caretaker of her future career, she would most definitely have ripped my head off by now. Her annoyance was well hidden but, the signs were there.

Knocking twice on the door, I heard heels clack against tile and a voice called out to me.

"I'll be there in a moment."

The door opened not ten seconds later and I thought I saw smugness in her eyes and I felt a hint of embarrassment. Needless to say, my eyes bugged out of my head slightly.

She was going to make this night painful.

Her dress was small, black and coy. It showed off her long legs and, to my despair, I saw it didn't even reach her knees. The part reaching past her thighs was all netting and clearly see through.

The damn thing hugged every curve of her body, and admittedly that was a good thing, and also gave me a generous view of her neck.

She had taken her hair down for once and I saw, with surprise, that the blonde locks fell in light waves halfway down her back.

She walked out to meet me, my eyes taking notice that her heels put her just a few inches away from my eye level.

"You look rather nice Doctor Crane." she said, hiding her smile. I decided that I would surprise her and aimed my eyes down at her body.

"One could say the same about you Miss Brookes. And as long as we are not at work, you may call me Jonathan." I said, lowering my voice almost flirtatiously. She looked somewhat taken aback but, nodded.

"Of course… Jonathan." the word seemed a little forced and I almost laughed along with the beast in my mind.

I adjusted my glasses and smiled at her for the second time that day.

"Shall we go?" I asked her. She dipped her head and I began to walk. My convertible was waiting for us as I stepped outside and helped her into the car yet again. She looked a little irked and I couldn't help but notice that the lower part of her dress grew shorter as she sat.

I felt disgusted when the Scarecrow gave a wolf-whistle as I shut the door. Thankfully it was in my mind.

_She's pretty sexy outside of the office. Think you can convince her to wear a red one to work tomorrow?_

I scowled.

But I plastered the same smile on my face as I got into the car.

As I pulled carefully out of the parking lot, I saw Deirdre self consciously running a hand through her hair. Something suddenly occurred to me about just that.

She usually kept her hair loosely secure and, the few times I'd seen her move to tighten it, fear flashed in her eyes and her hands dropped.

Something bothered her about it.

Deciding to make idle chatter, I glance at her before returning my eyes to the road, her almost green eyes shifting uncomfortable.

"I have to say, I didn't think you would accept my invitation." I said quietly, collected so that I wouldn't show the unease I felt.

"And why not?"

She sounded distracted but, sharp. As if she were only half paying attention to the conversation but, it registered with her the same.

"I haven't been on a date with a girl ever since… the mishap." I said. Not true. I hadn't been on a date with a girl since college. The first and last.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do but, despite her behaviour, I liked to think I was doing fine. It surprised me when she turned towards me, her eyes growing soft.

"People make mistakes Jonathan. Bad ones. You're lucky. You had a chance to fix yours." she said. Her eyes held something shadowed and I noticed, whilst weaving through traffic and over the bridge to the narrows, that she seemed somewhat sad.

"Have you made a mistake Deirdre?" I asked quietly. She shivered somewhat when I said her name. But my name escaping her lips had nearly had the same effect on me.

"Not one that you need to know about." she said softly.

"You know about mine." I objected. The whole purpose behind hiring her was to get close to her. I wanted to know her insecurities and, for the briefest moment, I wondered what her scream would sound like before she spoke again.

"If you must know… I got too close to a project to see clearly. And I lost control of the situation. End of story." she said coldly. I looked at her then and saw her toying with her hair. As she brushed it behind her ear, my eyes caught a glimpse of a scar running up into her hair where it disappeared. A reddish-brown colour, as if it had just begun to heal.

What had happened to her?

I returned my eyes to the road, driving up into the Arkham staff reserved parking. A few other cars were there and I could tell that people had car-pooled.

I parked and stepped out, rushing a bit to get to her side as she opened the door. I wasn't going to look rude in front of my colleagues and I took her hand, a little firmly, as I helped her up. She got that annoyed look in her foggy eyes again.

"Ready?" I asked sarcastically as she shut the door. Casting me a glance, the woman took her hand back and loosely wrapped it around my arm instead.

"As I'll ever be." she said with a sigh. Hiding a smirk and listening to the Scarecrow's laugh, I began to walk in.


	3. It's as Plain as Anyone can See

A/N: I know, I'm being ridiculous, but I must keep typing. The story already wrote itself in my mind. For those of you interested, A Little Parody will have three parts. I'll write a prequel and a sequel to it so, wait. This story, however, will only have two. So, for those wondering, yes, I plan to write for a while. Oh, I don't own Batman by the way. He belongs to DC. As for the random song quotes at the beginning, I will be quoting movies and The Nightmare Before Christmas is God! And we pick up where chapter one left off.

Jonathan: That dress looked really good.

Deirdre: shut up *flushes*

Kyrn: *headdesk* the dress, right. Here it is! http:// www (dot) edressme (dot) com/faviana-cocktail-49 (dot) html

Please remove all spaces and replace the written dots with actual periods. And for those of you wondering, Deirdre's name is Deirdre Cordis Brookes as you find out later. But the real kicker is, Deirdre Cordis can be translated to 'fear heart.' Not brought up at any point so, I'm leavin it at that.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

_For it is Plain as Anyone can See_

_~Final/Reprise, __**The Nightmare Before Christmas**_

Walking into that room was living hell. Instantly everyone's eyes were on me and, as the staff lounge generally quieted into whispers, I found my gaze sweeping down. I found relief when Harley came up to me. She'd arrived with another one of my friend's, Joan Lealand.

Very dimly, I heard quiet music playing where a few couples seemed to be dancing on the tiled side of the room.

"Hi Doctor Crane, Deirdre." she said with the usual bright red smile. For once, I think my lips were brighter than hers, contrasting with my smoky eye shadow. Harley, however, looked the same. Like the perfect Barbie doll, beautiful and happy. To my surprise, Crane smiled a little softer.

Hmm, he had a soft side for Harley.

"Good evening child." he said, reaching out to pat her on the head somewhat playfully. Harley giggled then turned to me. I saw sympathy in her eyes and she turned to shoot a death glare at a few who had been staring. They automatically looked away.

I didn't blame them. Harley doesn't look like much of a threat but she can't give a creepy face, creepier than Jonathan's which is just plain scary to think about.

"Hi Harley." I said softly, unhooking my arm from Jonathan's. Damn him and his pride and placing it around my waist instead. But, to my surprise, he pulled me closer and caught the shoulder a passing man whispering to, what appeared to be, his girlfriend.

"That girl? No wonder she got a job here…" he cut off as Jonathan coldly placed a grip on his arm. The poor man looked terrified.

"She achieved her position here by graduating with a major in criminal psychology as well as a minor in psychopharmacology. She skipped her junior year in high school and Doctor Brookes has earned your title. Unlike you, Gregory Arkham, who only belongs here because the building was your father's and, as he saw me fit to inherit responsibility over you, I suggest you silence yourself."

My eyes widened, as did Harley's, as I stared at him. Was… was he defending me?

Arkham shrugged Jonathan's arm away in obvious fear and strolled off quickly in an opposite direction, to the other side of the lounge. Crane looked down at me with shaded eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked. I raised my eyebrows and saw his hands twitching and I reached up, resting a hand on his shoulder in concern. I had always been that way. Couldn't leave wall enough alone and not be anxious about those with any mental illness or discomfort.

"Are you?" I retaliated, seeing Harley give me a funny look out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm as fine as I'll ever be." he answered cooly, turning back to Harley and Lealand. Joan was wearing a rather plain black dress, sensible and pretty. Harley, however, was more like me. Though, whereas she was obviously out to make a statement, I had been out to get a reaction other than calculated reason out of Jonathan.

Harley's outfit, as I turned to talk to her, I noticed as the most outrageous in our group. Though it was nowhere near crazy. It just stood out the most.

Blue as her eyes and with silver halter straps, it swept down to her knees where the hem hugged her legs, her feet clad in matching silver stilettos. It was funny, I had on almost the same pair though, whereas hers were strappy, mine were tied back with ribbons.

"So, you and Crane?" she asked, sounding curious. It was nice as well, not at all demeaning. I liked her tone.

"The relationship between us purely professional and not even close to platonic. He offered to take me, I accepted." I said with a shrug. Harley eyed my outfit and I looked around.

Even hers wasn't as form-fitting as mine.

"And you wore the dress why? Last time you wore it-" I held up a hand to cut her off. Tapping Jonathan, he turned away from his conversation with Joan to look at me.

"Yes?"

"Um… d-do you mind getting me something to drink. I don't know where it is." I said, adding the false stutter to make myself sound nervous about facing the crowd. He searched my gaze and, for a moment, I didn't have to fake the nervousness when I saw awareness flash in his gaze. For a split second, his crystal clear eyes shifted to Harley then he nodded. And I watched him walk off.

Harley was looking at me in apprehension.

"You haven't worn that dress since the accident with Edward Mullahound." she said softly. I cringed. The incident. I would never get that close to a patient ever again.

"It was a mistake to wear this to work. I almost threw on the long black one but… something pulled me to this. I guess I wanted to rile Crane into a half human response." I said quietly, quiet enough that no one would hear. Harley pushed my hair back slightly and I felt her hand run over the quickly healing scar on the side of my head.

I shivered and pulled back. I didn't need to be reminded of that day. But the memory came anyways and I knew Harley would wait for me to pull out of it.

* * *

"_Hello Darren." I said softly, walking in and sitting down, my lab coat only halfway buttoned. He eyed my apparel with interest._

"_You dressed nice doc." he crooned at me. I laughed._

_Over my past few weeks treating him, I'd begun to think of the intensely bi-polar man as a friend, I trusted him. An awful mistake. I'd forgotten about his shifting mood swings. He'd killed his own sister and I should have known something could happen._

_But he'd been doing so well. He never needed the straightjacket or cuffs anymore._

"_Thank you Darren. You're dressed the same." I said. And it pushed him off the edge._

_He lunged across the table and got his hands in my hair as I yelped in shock._

"_You think I choose too? You think I want to be here? Fuck you!" he yelled at me. I felt my hair being ripped out of the tight up-do I usually had it in and I screamed, trying to push him off._

_He grabbed one of the bobby-pins that had fallen out of my hair and dug it roughly into the side of my head and drug it up towards the top as I screamed in pain, feeling blood creep from my wound._

"_Darren stop it!" I screamed at him. He raised one hand from my hair, dragging the pin out painfully, and punching me in the eye._

_I cried in pain and felt his hands close on my throat._

_I laid there, flailing, for who knew how long. I wondered where the guards were. What was going on?_

_I couldn't breathe, couldn't think…_

_Couldn't BREATH._

_The orderlies rushed in, dragging him off of me. But my vision was blurring and I felt my eyelids flicker shut._

_I was out in seconds, gasping._

* * *

"Deirdre?" Harley asked softly. I bit my lip and turned back to her. She was the only one in the entire asylum who knew what happened.

"It was a mistake Harles. One I don't plan on making again. I'll never get that close to another one and I definitely won't ever be that friendly with anyone but you." I said, flashing a smirk and trying to make humor of the situation.

"Brookes, it was hard for you and you know it. I came to state to see you that day remember? Your head was tore open, you were crying when you woke up. You were his friend and he betrayed you." she said gently. I felt her hand on my shoulder and looked down at my dress. Yes, I had been hurt.

"But it was still a mistake all the same." And I got the last word as Jonathan had come back from wherever he'd been, a two glasses filled with champagne.

Liquor in an asylum. What next?

* * *

_She wants to talk the girl alone._

Had he not mentioned it, I might not have noticed. Female tendencies were beyond me. For some strange reason, however, the Scarecrow was an expert on the female species and had seduced a great many, much to my horror.

I narrowed my eyes ever so slightly, inspecting her, and her hand went up to her hair again. I don't think she even noticed. But I saw the red mark at her ear again and nodded.

Then I was off. Champagne seemed like the good choice and I heard the beast hum in approval.

As I returned, I was distracted by the look on her face.

_Fear. _groaned the Scarecrow. He seemed… almost pleasured by the very idea. But something worried me about that fear.

I saw her bite her lip, watching the already red surface seem to grow brighter, making her white teeth stand out.

With that false smile, I began forward again and saw relief in her eyes as I handed her the beverage. Clinking the beverages, I took a gulp of mine, feeling myself relax as it warmed me.

I stood there in silence for a moment before turning to Harleen and blinking in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry Harleen, if you would excuse me? I'd like to speak to Doctor Brookes alone." I said softly. Quinzel blinked herself, her wide eyes glassy and almost blank. But she smiled and nodded, almost seeming to skip off. The first time I'd ever seen her I had almost gagged.

'Hi. I'm psychoanalyst Barbie' were the first words I'd expected to pop out of her mouth. But she was intelligent and I had developed a bit of a soft side for her. She was eager to learn, a wonderful thing.

But as she walked off, I saw wariness in Deirdre's eyes.

_She'll hurt you if you aren't careful._ Scarecrow warned, amused by the girl. Most women at this asylum had their tempers but, they seemed almost like weasels. Small but mean and more intimidating than posing physical threat.

For some reason, however, Brookes had a look of fierceness inside her.

Something told me she was more of a fox, small and mean, but also ready to fight.

"Are you enjoying your employment at Arkham?" I asked. Small talk was always the best way to start a conversation.

"It's a lot more interesting than work at the state asylum. I think they put people in State so that they won't get out. They put them here to forget about them." she said, giving a real smile this time. Hmm, she liked this place better than state.

"So, you are not disappointed? Or fearful to be working for a convicted felon?" I asked, glancing at those around me. They all hated me, I could tell. The way they held themselves said it all. Harleen and Lealand were the only two who truly respected me for me, not for a criminal.

"I'm not disappointed in the slightest to be working here. I'm not afraid of you Doctor, though I am wary of the fact that you could fire me if I make a mistake.

I finished off my champagne and set the glass on a nearby table.

"So. If you're not afraid of me, would you do me the honour of dancing with me?" I asked. The Scarecrow almost purred. He really liked that dress on her and, admittedly, so did I. It was nice, classy, yet appealing.

"Sure." she said, taking one last gulp of her own bubbly and sitting it next to me. There was a very fine line between dancing and standing chest to chest, jumping up and down. Club dancing had never been something that appealed to me.

So, as we moved to stand where the others were easily twirling, waltzing, I simply placed my hands on her waist. She tentatively slid her arms around my neck and I wanted to shudder as her warm hands touched my neck.

But I swayed back and forth, easily keeping at least six inches distance between us.

"Why me?" she asked curiously after a while.

"Do I detect a hint of bitterness doctor?" I asked, weakly attempting a joke. It worked. She smiled and gave a very small laugh, then looked up, instantly serious again. I couldn't help but notice her eye shadow was a supposed to be smoky but, it was lighter than the grey in her eyes.

"No sir. I mean why did you ask me? Harley and Joan are here alone. You could have asked any of them." she said, causing me to bend down slightly.

_Let me take over Jonny. Just for a minute. _the Scarecrow begged. I couldn't allow that but, I did let the charm he could often convey to come through.

"You don't have to call me sir as long as we're not working. I told you to call me Jonathan." I whispered, so no one would hear. Triumph.

Her pale skin grew peach, flushing softly from her ears to the corner of her mouth.

"Only if you call Deirdre." she responded. Bold girl.

"All right, Deirdre, I asked you because I wanted to get to know the new employee outside of an interview in my office." I said, giving a faint shrug. She nodded and her eyes flickered down, breaking my contact with them.

"That sounds reasonable. Now, if only I can tell these ones that our relationship is purely sociable." she said, stopping another sigh from escaping her mouth by biting her lip again.

"So, are you going to be ready to leave again soon?" I asked. She nodded at me easily and tilted her head back up to look at me. Her hair brushed my fingers and I felt one wave wrap itself along the edge of my finger. Her hair was soft, like the cloud it seemed to be emulating.

"You're hair is an odd colour." I commented, curious. She shook her head, another smile blooming along her lips.

"I know. I don't dye it, if that's what you're wondering. Funny thing. It was darker when I was a kid but, when I grew older, it just became lighter and lighter. Now it's pretty close to being pearl coloured. It's near frightening." she commented. I nodded, as if interested.

"So, the fearless Deirdre Brookes is afraid of hair colour?" I asked, pretending to joke and squelching the curiosity threatening to burst into me tone.

"Not really. I'm not afraid of hair. Spiders, maybe, snakes, sure, but not hair." she said, pulling further back. I took her lead, a pit of frustration in my stomach, as I lead her off the floor.

She paused for a moment, then turned.

"Do you mind if I tell Harley good-bye?" she asked. I nodded and watched her walk off, not able to keep myself from glancing down at her retreating legs.

The Scarecrow, who had been reasonably quiet up until now, whistled again in the reounding darkness of my mind. I growled.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" I asked so quietly that no one nearby would hear.

_Yes. If you remember correctly, we've got drugs to pick up tonight. The mob pays good money for their stuff. _he said. God damn, I had forgotten. I'd need to drop off Brookes and get going.

To my relief, she came prancing back again and let me take her waist again as we walked out.

The whole ride back to her apartment, she was silent. I saw her hand repeatedly running through her hair and frowned most of the time.

Something had happened to her, something frightening. I wanted to know what. Sadly, there was only one way to get such information. The Scarecrow hummed happily.

_Ahhh. We're going to need ourselves a computer hacker._


	4. Live a Little,Drink a Little,Fear a Lot

A/N: Alrighty then, now that you know what happened to Deirdre we're going to start getting down and dirty. I do not own Batman. What I do own is this plot and, just in case you can't figure it out *wink* the guy at the beginning of my chap is, in fact, the Scarecrow, not Jonathan. By the way, I couldn't resist. Harley's in here so, she deserves her piece. I had Jonathan in my last story so… I had to put you know who in this one.

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CHAPTER 3

__

Live a little, Drink a little, Fear a lot

I cackled easily, crouching in the corner. The messenger was coming. I was reminded of an old saying. 'Don't shoot the messenger,' they said. No, no I would never do such a thing. I slipped on the mask, turning the rebreather on inside of it.

_No, you'll just spray them with fear gas. _sounded that annoying voice in my head. I rolled my eyes in defiance and cackled again, tucking myself into the corner and slipping my hand into my pocket where a powder lay, ready for me to grasp.

Timid feet walked into the alley, a child's feet.

"M-mister Sc-sc-scarecrow?" a voice called. I observed her for a moment. Short brown hair, barley past her ears, and pudgy cheeks. Though she was thin and small, I could guess she was around fourteen or fifteen.

Though her clothes said otherwise. The skirt could be a large belt, a very tight large belt, torn stockings, a strapless top and her naval showing. She had a long boots on, all the way up to her knees, and they were made of shiny black material. I'm sure she was a prostitute some of the time.

"S-s-sir. No-nomad sent m-m-e." she stuttered.

I saw her set something on the ground, a bag of what I presumed to be the drugs I'd called in for. The man I'd been asking them from happened to be a bonus.

Unable to help myself any longer, I shot out, tossing the powder at her. She shrieked and I stalked forward, placing a hand over her mouth and breathing deeply, reveling in what she was seeing. Behind my hand, I could hear her murmuring it over and over.

"Hands… b-blod… blood…. Hands…" she screamed, her voice and yell muffled.

"Tell the Nomad that the Scarecrow wants to meet him in the vacant lot!" I hissed in her ear, feeling her shake. Then I let her fall, watching her try to scramble away.

"Y-yes sir!" she cried, trying to scramble away. I reached down, yanking her up again and grinning behind the mask. She was crying now, long streaks of red mascara that matched her top ran down her cheeks. Her wide brown eyes were panicked.

"You hear:? Vacant lot! East Side!" I shouted, shoving her back. She hit the ground, her skin cutting open and leaving a coppery smell in the air. I could hear her shrieking as she ran off, exactly what I told her.

Picking the bag up off the ground, I unrolled it and saw, inside, a few needles and bags. Powders and plants in the little baggies, the needles well capped off and few vials of fluid at the bottom.

I chuckled again, made myself stay to stare for a moment, then took off towards where I had parked. Just out of view of the cameras, and began to include Jonathan in my mind again.

My mind, not his.

"The Nomad was supposed to be one of the greatest hackers in Gotham until the Batman came along." I mentioned. Jonny hid his smile well, even in my head where things should be private.

_He is still one of the greatest hackers in Gotham. He just went underground. Remind me again how you found a way to contact him?_"Your patients are surprisingly talkative when they want to get something off their chest. I just listen." I said, shrugging easily and throwing the car into reverse. I backed out of my place along the side of the street and then shot forward, nearly running a red light as the much less busy night life of Gotham sped by as well.

_You need to come back in. _Jonathan said. I flashed a manic grin at his glasses on the seat, making no move to pick them up.

"Loosen up Jonny. Live a little, drink a little, fear a lot. Starting with me." I said, starting to hum. Jonathan's house, whatever he might think, was not my destination.

I was heading somewhere much more exciting. When he saw the neighborhood I was in, he was shouting.

_No! Hell no! God blass it Scarecrow I'm not doing this! _he yelled angrily, almost as if he were trying to push against the recesses of my mind. I snickered. We were most definitely paying her a visit. I began thinking about her. Even if Jonny boy didn't think so, I as pretty engrossed with little Deirdre Brookes. This new little doctor, so pretty, so young.

So… innocent. Her pretty little mind had yet to have impressions, it didn't have a master, it didn't have anything hindering it. I shivered at the thought, almost able to picture her long, curvaceous figure in my head. I could see her mouth open, screaming. Whether in terror, or some other more pleasant emotion, I wasn't sure yet. At the moment, I didn't really have a preference. The thought made me chuckle.

Jon was not amused.

_You do realize that now I will have that largely inappropriate thought, forever stamped into my mind._I laughed aloud, turning a left and driving down her street.

When I turned into her apartment complex, Jonathan was really trying to get out. He was shouting and racing about, and I was pretty sure he gained control of my limbs for a moment when I unexpectedly threw the car into reverse again, as if to back out. Quickly, I regained control and yanked out the key, grinning as I shoved open the door and pocketed them, throwing the brown bag on to the seat with the glasses.

Walking over, I wondered how I was going to do this, until I saw the fire escape ladder. Rushing over, I hoisted myself up with one hand then started to climb.

It was easy enough, and I was tall enough to make the climb easy, dressed darkly enough to keep myself concealed.

I knew I'd found her window when I saw silvery patch of hair glowing behind a cloud of gossamer.

_She is quite beautiful. A good, strong mind. _Jonathan thought and I almost laughed. All he could ever think about was the mind. But I had other things going on in my head. Such as the dark figure, silhouetted in the night.

She shifted and I could very faintly hear her say something but, the window was shut. I couldn't hear what it was she was calling for, or who.

Watched her there for quite a while, just waiting to see if she would do anything else interesting. Every now and then, I'd see a flash of white teeth as her lips moved again, calling to something. She was interesting tossing, turning, and I realized I'd made a mistake near seconds before she yelled and rolled over. Her eyes opened and with alarm, I let go of the ladder.

I fell a few feet, crouching into a ball like I knew I should. Happily though a loud thud assured me that I'd hit the ground my body told me I was relatively uninjured. Running back to the mustang, I threw open the door and scowled at Jonny's smug smirk as he gained control in my momentary panic.

_I told you it was a bad idea._"Since when have you cared about being virtuous Scarecrow?" I asked, happily shrugging back into my own body and putting my glasses on.

Silence is a virtue Jonathan.

* * *

_I was about ninety-five percent sure I was eyes opened and, for a moment, I panicked when I saw Jonathan's face watching me. But as I blinked and buried my face in my hands I slowly began to realize I wasn't dreaming anymore. I was awake, in my room._

_One this would never be happening in a real life. Two, I usually know when I'm dreaming. I used to force myself to wake up during bad dreams. Still do at times. But, at the moment, I wasn't even attempting to wake up._

_"Jonathan?" I queried, feeling his hands on my waist from behind._

_I couldn't even remember why I'd come up to his office._

_All I could feel was his hands on my, softly running up and down my body. He chuckled and I turned to see him._

_As I turned, it almost felt like a fairy-tale sequence from a movie. My hair rearranged itself on my head, my clothes grew and changed._

_We weren't in his office. We were in some empty room, beautifully decorated._

_I was wearing white now, all the way down to my ankles in a sweeping gown. Almost amused, I looked and saw his hand raise mine as he twirled me. I spun once and sighed, falling into him._

_"Jonathan." I said again softly. He chuckled again… but this laugh was different. It scared me._

_His hand had moved up to my hair where his finger pushed into my bun, encircled it, and tore. I screamed in pain. His face was changing and, suddenly, it wasn't Jonathan anymore._

_"Darren!" I shrieked, trying to get away. He reached up and yanked on my hair again, pulling me back. I screamed… _and my eyes opened. With a flash of panic, I thought I saw Jonathan right there.

Looking up, I realized it couldn't have been Jonathan by my window. No one was there.

I turned over and laid on my back, staring at the ceiling in the dark, panting. What was happening to me? Damn it, I couldn't let myself be drawn in by him.

Throwing my legs over the bed, I felt my nightgown ride up and automatically shoved it back to my knees. The floor was cold but, I would deal. I walked into the bathroom just a few feet away from my bed and threw on the light.

For a second, dots danced before me and I fluttered my eyelashes. Twice, damn it, twice, I had had a conversation with him more than two sentences long. Three if you wanted to count the interview to get my job. As my eyes adjusted to the blinding light, I saw myself in the mirror and growled, walking over and raising my fist to it, holding myself up as my other hand moved down and turned on the cold water in the sink.

Letting it run for a moment, I cupped my hand and leant down, splashing myself in the face. It was cold but, refreshing. I shivered and continued this process until my hand grew numb.

Then I switched off the water and reached blindly for the hand towel nearby as I shut my eyes tightly. I was trying to block out the images of my dream.

I finally opened my eyes and looked up at myself.

My hair was tangled and messy, fluffing out and the waves seeming more pale than usual, an awful white colour that made me sick.

My face was paler too, making the contrast between the two seem horrible. It almost seemed like nothing was there to separate them. My eyes stood out though, green and grey as usual.

They were hideous, nothing made them pretty.

My limbs looked red from strain I had been putting by sleeping on them and my nightgown was black, making myself look impossibly idiotic.

That was the first night I'd ever dreamt of Jonathan.

And that was the first night I ever looked at myself and realized how much it mattered to me that he see me as something pretty.

Damn it.

* * *

"You're a pretty little thing Brookes." Zsasz said. I raised and eyebrow, crossing my legs and looking at him. He had an eerie look in his eyes, a dangerous one.

"Is that so? I've always thought I was quite ugly." I said.

"Your mother must have been something for you to look like you do." he said with a nod. I had an edge now. He couldn't accuse me of changing the subject when he brought it up.

"On the subject of mother's, what was yours like?" I asked. He was silent for a moment and I wrote something on my clip-board.

"What are you writing?" he demanded attempting to look over. The guard behind him grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back down. He received a glare. I wanted to laugh.

"I'm writing that you don't have business with what I'm writing." I said coolly.

_Again, he displays temperamental tendencies. He dislikes knowing things and also dislikes thiking he's being offended. Won't speak of his family and we still have no record of his life before the mob._"Cheeky little bitch. When I get out of here…" he said. I cut him off by raising my hand.

"You'll get your fingers around my throat and strangle me. I know." I said, becoming bored. He chuckled and I looked up, tossing my hair out of my face.

I'd worn it down for once, in a clip behind my head.

"When did I become so predictable?" he asked.

"When you got locked up here with every other nut job in the city. This session is over." I said. The guard pulled Zsasz up, held him as he struggled for a moment, then escorted him out. I continued writing for a moment, dotting a sentence and standing up.

I proceeded to walk out, my heels clicking against the floor, when I was greeted by Jonathan at the door. Breath left my body and I gave a small smile.

"Hello Doctor Brookes." he said quietly.

"Director. Having a pleasant morning?" I asked, somewhat curiously. It was odd knowing that he was in here without wearing a straightjacket strapped to a table. And somehow, I felt better knowing that he wasn't.

"We've got a new patient coming in today." he said, handing me a file. I looked at him curiously for a moment before he nodded and I opened the file.

A familiar face greeted me, one that had haunted the Gotham news so shortly after the mishap with Jonathan gaining the Scarecrow's invasion in his head.

The face that I'd been interested in for quite a while. What was under that white and black and red, what was behind the disfiguration and the crazed eyes? What was beneath that ratted, tangled up hair?

"Are you asking me to be prepared in case there's a situation?" I asked. He shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair, making it seem sleek under the lighting.

"I'm asking you who you think I should give him to. I've been thinking… older doctor's will do no good against this man." he said.

"Because of their older technique. Delving into childhood and traumatic experiences. You need someone younger." I said, flipping through the pages. It was all crime, no history. He didn't have a history, not like Zsasz.

Victor was a mob hit man and serial killer with a name. He had a rap sheet and an MO. This guy… he was pandemonium turned human with no real pattern whatsoever. God couldn't know what he was up to.

"Precisely. I might ask you but, you've got a full house looking after Zsasz. I was thinking Lealand or Arkham but Lealand has three, rather chaotic patients already and I would rather Arkham didn't gain too much power." he said. I nodded in understanding.

And a name popped into my mind.

"What about Doctor Quinzel?" I asked. He looked at me, somewhat surprised.

"Quinzel? She may be too young Doctor Brookes. Too impre-" I cut him off.

"You said you thought about giving him to me. I'm younger than Harley is." I said, raising my eyebrows. He nodded and sighed.

"I have no other option and Doctor Quinzel deserves a challenge. Perhaps you should deliver the news? I have a meeting in court in an hour and need to gather notes." he said. I looked at him curiously, tilting my head and feeling my hair brush the hand at my thigh.

"Court meeting? Whatever for?" I asked curiously. He rolled his eyes, surprising me.

"They require some proof that this man is insane." he said. I shook my head.

"I don't think he is." Silence. He stared at me. No surprise in his eyes but, only inquisitiveness and slight incredulity.

"Hmm?"

"I said I don't think he is. Insane that is to say. Doctor Crane, he has to be a good actor. How else would he escape the poison needle? He displays sociopath tendencies and schizophrenic habits but, you know as well as I, everyone has something or another wrong with their head by the definition of medicine. If… if you'll excuse my boldness, I think that he is simply putting on an act so that the public believes he is insane. Even if you say otherwise, thousands of others will be out there screaming for his head on a plate." I said, trying to explain myself thoroughly and not ramble. One of those rare smirks tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Are you requesting I tell the public he's putting on a good act for the little play we call life?" he asked, amused. I gave a small grin and turned to walk off.

"I'm saying, Doctor, that he's going to be an interesting patient."

As I began to walk off, I heard him call out to me by my given name and paused, turning to look at him.

"Deirdre… Your choice of clothing is very tasteful." he said lazily. Then turned and proceeded to walk in a separate direction.

I flushed slightly and began my stride to see Harley, brushing my hands down over my purple sweater and high black pencil skirt.

Had he complimented me?


	5. Keep Bleedin Love

A/N: And so the relationship blooms…. Yeah, I know. Stop giving me that 'I told you so' smirk. We all know I can't stay away from Mister J for long so I'm effectively having at least two or three chapters where he's going to interact with the lovelies known as Jonathan and Deirdre. Ooh, I like typing those together. Jonathan, Deirdre, Jonathan, Deirdre…

Network Announcement: We've effectively removed miss Kyrn from the computer so that this story can go on. Trust us viewers, she would have gone on forever. Luckily, she wrote the chapter before the note on this one. As for the reason she really needs Harley and the Joker in here, she decided that Deirdre needed a friend, like Para Dee. So, without much to go on, she just picked Harley. Enjoy her random, bubbliness. Enjoy it.

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CHAPTER 4

_Keep Bleedin' Love_

_~Bleeding Love, **Leona Lewis**_

I knocked on the door to Harley's office, wondering what she was doing.

"Come on in!" called the usual, soprano voice. I opened the slab of redwood, seeing Harley avidly typing on a computer. She had a glint in her eyes that made me groan.

"Harley, please tell me you're not doing what I think you are." I said, shutting the door and effectively locking it, wondering how she hadn't thought to do that in the first place.

"Okay, I'm not." she said. I heard a long beep that alerted me she had gotten something wrong. She swore and banged her fist on the table, moving her hand back over and typing in another sequence. Then she squealed with delight and clapped her hands as I moved over to stand behind her.

"Are you kidding me? Harleen! This is Arkham! You're hacking into files you can get by asking." I said, laughing incuriously.

"But it's so much fun." she said. I decided to wait for a minute before delivering her news. I didn't need to send her into mania.

"I want nothing to do with this. I'm going to sit down on the other side of that desk." I said, pretending to be angry. Something got me then when she smirked.

"Course Deer. I realize why you don't want to figure out exactly what Jonathan Crane did in his interviews." she said with a snicker. I froze for a moment, then knelt and yanked the monitor to me.

"Jonathan Crane, alias Scarecrow, schizophrenia, delusions?" I said incredulously. She smirked for a minute longer, then she sighed and pressed the power button on the computer. I looked at her my eyes wide and curious.

"Deer, I gotta say, I think you like him." she said quietly. I felt my heart plummet.

"That is-" she cut me off entirely.

"Completely ridiculous? Ludicrous? Wrong? Deirdre, I've heard it all before and I'm good at deciphering emotion. Right now, you're wearing the perfume called attraction." she said, a smile blooming on her face again. I felt my jaw drop and I shook my head.

"I was going to say stupid but, yeah those work too. And I am not!" I exclaimed, feeling a sense of dread in me.

"No, you are. You're just wearing it on your wrists so it's hard to smell and you push your sleeves over it." she said, matter-of-factly.

"You are infuriating. Maybe I'll tell Jonathan-"

"Ooh, Jonathan!"

"Shut up! Maybe I'll tell him that you're not mature enough." I said, somewhat defensive. My older strategy had fallen to the dust. All I could think of was that I might be able to snatch this from her if I told Crane she was hacking.

"Mature enough for what?" she asked, instantly curious. Moody like the damn pixie she looked like.

"Mature enough to take on the Joker's case." I said defiantly standing. I was instantly knocked to the ground again as Halrey tackled me in a hug.

"Really? Really, Deirdre! Oh my god, this is great!" she practically shrieked. I shrugged her off, annoyed all at once with her childish behaviour. Well, as long as she was happy…

"You're going to have to buck up Harley. The Joker, despite his name, is no joke. And do you mind bringing up the news on your TV up there? I need to see what's going on with Doctor Crane. He's at a summons about this right now." I said.

Harley gained control of herself a few seconds later, after a long bout of joy and laughter.

"Sure. That was the last channel I left it on." she said.

She hit a button on the remote on her desk and I watched as GCN flickered to life. But my eyes glued themselves to the words on the screen.

JONATHAN CRANE VS. THE STATE

* * *

"I am telling you that I've taken my medication. I can't hear a thing." I said calmly, keeping my lazy position in the chair.

It was true. That morning, I had taken my medication. I couldn't risk not taking it.

The only dilemma I faced now was getting through this without the Scarecrow's cunning mind to help me through this.

"You deny the fact that you are still selling drugs in the narrows?" demanded the new DA. Interesting young woman.

She looked nothing like Deirdre. Van Dorn had brown hair, down and not pulled out of her face. Her eyes were black and concealed by glasses.

Wait, why was I comparing her to Deirdre?

I sighed.

"For the third time, I deny selling drugs in the Narrows. It was a simple compound. If someone else has created something similar or a replica, it isn't me." I said, my temper rising into my voice a little.

So I had lied to the girl, this wasn't supposed to be a problem. But I was troubled by it. However, under no condition would I explain myself to the others that I was going to court because of these ridiculous charges.

Sure they were true but, nonetheless, I had been careful enough not even to leave a hair at the places I normally sold drugs. This couldn't happen.

"Doctor Crane, the night that the young girl under the influence of your compound was discovered, where were you?" the judge questioned, looking at me with her large brown eyes. She seemed… lenient. Willing to give me a chance.

Refreshing.

"I was escorting our newest doctor back to her house from a staff meeting. Then I went home." I said with a shrug.

"And who is this new doctor?" demanded Van Dorn. Did she really think I was so narrow-minded as to not even try to make up a doctor? Let alone have a real one?

"Doctor Deirdre Brookes." I said, giving a first name and raising a brow as if they could contradict me.

"Mrs. Van Dorn, are you telling me that you have no true evidence that this man has been dealing drugs in the Narrows again, only that it was his compound used on the girl?" the judge asked. Fair minded person, Gotham needed more of those.

"Your honor, I'm begging you. Jonathan Crane's toxin is still going around in this city. He is the only one known to have made such a toxin and no one else would have reason for scaring a young girl out of her wits and not killing her." she said, fixing her glasses. I wished I could break them.

I wondered if Brookes felt the same way when I did that to mine.

"This court is adjourned and Doctor Crane is dismissed on lack of conclusive evidence." she said, banging her gavel. I couldn't help but flash Janet Van Dorn a smug smirk as I walked out the doors and into the car.

I had to say, not hearing the Scarecrow's voice in my ears all the time was peaceful…

But I didn't need medication to control myself.

* * *

I opened the door to my office, immediately picking up what was out of place. My chair was turned around, the lights were off. I flicked them off and shut the door, locking it behind me. I wasn't sure why I'd done the latter but, for some reason, I needed to.

"All right, what do you want?" I asked coldly.

When the chair turned around, I was surprised to see Deirdre there, her hands folded under her chin, her elbows resting on the armrests.

"Hello Doctor. You, ah, come back from court?" she asked. I didn't think it was possible that Deirdre could purr but, obviously, it was.

"Yes. The Joker is going to be transferred here from state tomorrow." I said, taking off my glasses and tucking them on to my shirt collar.

"Is that so?" she drawled, leaning back.

"It is so. Now, if you would be so kind as to tell me what you're doing in my office?" I said tranquilly. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing into gray slits. I noticed she was wearing make-up to match her shirt. It was deep purple.

Beautiful.

I shook my head slightly at her expression and my thought.

"Jonathan, Miss Lealand has just informed me that the Joker was already been passed to be transferred to Arkham." she said.

I think my heart stopped.

_What now Scarecrow?_

_..._

Right. He wasn't there.

I gave a smirk hoping to rile her.

"Is this a problem?

"I was also telling Doctor Quinzel of your news when we turned on the news and saw a very familiar face on trial. It was live GCN." she said.

God damn it all.

Out of all the things a girl could watch, this one had to choose the news.

"Interesting. Did you enjoy the trial or were you rather hoping I would be locked away again?" I joked, in an attempt to derail the subject.

"You're missing my point." she growled angrily.

Obviously she was angry about something. I just couldn't understand what. I had been proven not guilty, so I had lied. It wasn't a problem. If I wanted Arkham to know that their Director was being tried I would have told them. If they needed to know, the police would have informed them of course. So there was no need for her to be so livid. It was down right annoying.

"Your point?" I asked, my voice lowering. I could classify it as icy if I want to but, I was beyond that at the moment. I was only facing her off now as she stood, her hands propping her up as she placed them on the desk.

_My _desk.

"Doctor Crane do you lie to all of your employees?" she demanded. I faced her calmly, now glad I'd locked the door.

"If I did, it would be none of your business or concern. You are under my employ doctor and I would appreciate if you would take your hands off my desk." I said. I saw her eyes burn with defiance and her knuckles whiten as they clenched. I was unable to help myself.

To but it blandly I disliked being defied.

"That was an order Doctor." I said forcefully. Her eyes widened in disbelief and she raised her hands to her sides and clenched them in fists.

I noticed she moved her left hand up every now and then, as if wanting to pull on her hair. But she soon walked over and seemed to be walking past me.

However, she stopped at my side.

I saw tears in her eyes, an alarming idea. Then, to my surprise her hand swung up and she backhanded me. I would have yelled had she not beaten me to it.

"Next time you need an alibi, you won't be counting on me!" she shouted angrily. Bringing her sleeve up to her eyes, she dabbed away at the few tears that had overflowed, leaving me to touch the stinging side of my face.

"I could fire you!" I barked coldly. She met my glare with rage burning in her eyes, tears coming out again. Why the crying?

I could do nothing about the tears and it was odd, not being in control of just one girl. Especially this one girl.

"I don't care!" she shrieked.

I watched as she bit her lip and, to my shock, picked up her fist and slammed it into my shoulder in frustration. Then she turned, shaking her head, and walked out with a whimper in every breath.

I watched the door long after she slammed it, as if waiting for her to come back and apologize. She never came back and I rubbed my shoulder, surprised that such a slight girl could pack such a large punch.

And I pondered, for a moment before seating myself, whether or not I should fire her. She had hit her superior for an absurd reason. I had…… Used her.

I couldn't fire her.

Because, despite myself, I felt like I had deserved it.


	6. I Feel you on my Fingertips

A/N: Yep. I ain't got much to say… I don't own Batman. Oh yeah, haha, the thing with the cat in this chapter? Yeah, my friend's cat actually does that and avariety of other things. She also has carpet ceilings and it'll climb up the wall, on to the ceiling, the falls asleep up there. It's friggin' hilarious.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

__

I Feel you on my Fingertips

~All Around Me, **Flyleaf**

I was back at my house, sitting on my bed, looking around the place.

My cat softly brushed it's back under my hands and I complied, stroking him. Jacquimo purred and, for the millionth time since I'd bought the little ginger tabby with white paws, I wondered why I had named him after a sparrow.

Sparrows were like crows, and crows were good. They fought with Scarecrows.

Tears sprang to my eyes again and Jacquimo left me alone, leaping off the bed and going off to ventures much more exciting than comforting his nervous little human reduced to tears by the prospect of Jonathan Crane using her. I'd cleaned off my make-up earlier and now I buried my face in the white sheets on my bed.

I was grateful for the gossamer canopy hiding me. I didn't need anyone knowing I was crying.

"Stupid girl. Crying isn't going to do anything." I scolded myself, feeling water run into the fabric. No, it wouldn't do any good. But it felt good.

Damn it, I couldn't believe Jonathan would do that without asking me, much less use me as his alibi. Even if he wasn't selling his drugs to the Gotham populace.

I cried.

And I could probably just file for two weeks notice now. I had slapped him then punched him. I was as good as gone. Smart, rational Deirdre reduced to tears, yelling, and hitting by one man who found it fit to hurt her. I wanted to do more than that.

I'd wanted to tackle him and hit him until he got it, scream at him until he understood me, crawl on top of him and hold him down until he realized what it felt like to have him glare at me, _use _me.

_Then what Deidre? Once you're all over him and through and making goo-goo eyes at him again what happens? _demanded my conscience. I growled and stifled it.

"He's just being a bastard. You just need to ignore him." I told myself. Now, how does one ignore their boss, exactly?

I missed him.

The thought struck me in the face. I wanted him around, I wanted to talk to him and see that little smile he gave. I didn't want to be alone.

I slammed my fist on to the bed.

Damn it all Harley had me overanalyzing things.

* * *

The Scarecrow had returned, furious as always.

_Well I hope you're happy Doctor Phil McDouche. How are we going to get her on our side now?_

I scowled. This was not my fault.

"She hit me!" I exclaimed. He chuckled.

_You used her name in court without asking force. You know, most men would have known that you have to ask a woman's permission. _he pointed out with a sneer.

He was, once again, laughing at my lack of a social and dating life.

"Scarecrow, this isn't funny. We need to get her back to us. Otherwise this whole thing could be blown." I said angrily. A sudden rapping on the door distracted me.

In my lifetime, I'd learned to identify different types of knocking. There was timid knocking, casual knocking, and furious knocking. What I was hearing was classified as the latter of the three.

"Doctor Crane I demand to speak to you!" yelled a distinctly high, feminine voice.

_Great. What did you do to piss off Quinzel?_

"Enter." I said. The door exploded open and I saw Harley come in, fury plain in the eyes behind large round glasses. She slammed the door behind her then stalked up to my desk putting her hands on it and leaning down towards my face.

"What the hell did you do to Doctor Brookes?" she demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lied hotly. I was trying ot back up but, Harleen had a glare like no other... except perhaps Brookes.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. Deirdre left my office fine, perfectly happy if not a little bit angry. She came back with her punch card in hand, tears on her face, and denying that anything had happened. Then she told me bye and that she would most likely not see me tomorrow because she was getting fired. What did oyu do?" she yelled, shaking her finger at me.

I had to admit, when Harley was angry, she would probably make a very frightening woman if it weren't me she were speaking to.

_You mean if you hadn't already acquired your worse fear in your body._ the Scarecrow scowled. Great, everyone was angry with me.

I'm a doctor? Why does no one ever side with the doctor? A better question, why did no one ever listen to me?

"Well!" Harley shouted, demanded I answer her. I stood to keep her out of my face and she glared up at me, keeping the same position against my desk.

"Doctor Quinzel, I can assure you I am not firing Doctor Brookes. We had an argument, yes, but it truly isn't any of your business." I said, moving to take my coat from the coat rack in the corner.

"You had better apologize to her Crane. Or I quit and you can find someone else to take your Joker." she growled. I looked at her, surprised.

I actually hadn't expected Deirdre to deliver the news. Sure she had told me she had but... I expected it had been her being angry.

"Doctor Quinzel, I'm leaving for the day. Perhaps you should start reading up on your new patient." I said, opened my poor door gently. The thing had been slammed so much today.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

Had it been anyone but Harley I would have stalked off but, instead, I gave a smile.

"I'm listening to a smart young blonde."

Then I left before she could say another word.

* * *

Arriving at Brookes' apartment in broad daylight seemed very different. I made my way in, up the flights of stairs, and to her door.

I sighed, pulling a pen out and inspecting the lock. It was cheaper than hell. clicking it open, I stabbed it into the door and twisted, hearing the lock click and swinging the door open, removing my now ruined pen with ease.

As I shut the door behind me, I saw a cat walk out, look at me curiously, then move over to a small scratching post. Not to claw at it but to sink it's teeth into the top and, while I watched incredously, close it's eyes as if it were going to sleep.

What a peculiar creature.

As I got closer to what I assumed was her bedroom door, I was horrified to hear crying.

"Stupid girl. Crying won't do anything." I heard. A logical response.

_Well Jonny? Go in there! You broke in, at least have the balls to talk to her. _Scarecrow sighed, impatient.

I took a deep breath, pacing myself.

"He's just a bastard." I heard the Scarecrow lose his impatient state and let out a loud cackle of lasting laughter in my head.

_Have I mentioned I love this girl?_

I wanted to get this over now. I knocked on the door and was surprised when I was allowed in.

"Hello." I said quietly. She actually fell off the bed, getting another round of giggles from Scarecrow.

"Doctor Crane?"

"Yes. I, ah, your door was unlocked." I lied.

"Was it?" she asked confused, standing up and brushing her hair back. Some of it had fallen loose and I saw her eyelids were red.

She'd been crying for a while.

"Yes. I came by to apologize to you. It was wrong of me to say such a thing without your permission and I won't do so again." I said.

_Wow Jonny. Mind faster than a speeding bullet and just about as subtle as one in the face._

I wanted to tell him to shut up but, somehow, I realized that Deirdre might not understand.

"Is that so? Harley talked to you didn't she?" asked the girl.

She was amazingly quick. Her eyes narrowed and she nodded, obviously showing that I didn't need to answer that question.

"Branded a glare permanently into my head would be more appropriate." I said. She laughed and moved forward, standing closer to me.

"Well, if I'm not getting fired, I'm sure I can accept that apology. I'm sorry for hitting you." she said quietly, looking up at me. I nodded.

"You're forgiven." I said. She nodded at me then awkwardly toyed with a strand of her hair.

Silence.

_Jonny, let's go. _Scarecrow said. I couldn't really hear him as more than a background noise, really.

All I saw was Deirdre staring up at me.

The spaces between our faces was closing. I was leaning further and further down. Her hand had come to rest just below my shoulde ron my chest where she had hit earlier.

Closer... closer...

"Merroww?" came from the doorway. We jolted apart and Brookes stared at her cat. I cleared my throat, confused.

Then I had an odd time snap and backed up.

"I'll be leaving now." I said, then turned on my heels and walked right out of her apartment and back to the car. Climbing in, I could hear the Scarecrow's confusion.

_Alright Jon-boy... what the hell was that? _he demanded.

_I don't know Scarecrow. I really don't know._

* * *

I stared at the place Jonathan had fled from, time still catching up to me. I sank on to my bed with an odd smile.

Jonathan Crane had almost kissed me.

_shit!_

_Jonathan Crane had almost kissed me._

Things were going to be awkward at work now. And Harley was going to notice.

Harley! I groaned.

She was going to notice and then give me living hell about it.


	7. Might Actually Treat me Well

**A/N: I do not own Batman. Ooh, yay, Joker a little bit here.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

_Might Actually Treat me Well_

_~White Horse, __**Taylor Swift**_

The next day at work was odd.

Harley had this smug, knowing look on her face. Somehow, she knew that something weird had happened. I was still replaying the scene in my head.

Zsasz and I didn't have an appointment today so, I came by and checked on a few tamer patients. Most of them were doing well though a few only glared as I came by.

Suddenly, the pager in the pocket of my lab coat buzzed at me.

Lifting it up, I panicked at what I saw. It was from Jonathan.

HARLEY. ENTRANCE. QUICK.

I took off like a rocket up down the stairs. I ended up taking them two at a time when I heard yelling on the second floor. Once I reached the ground floor I saw Jonathan stumbling back and heard laughter. Quickly, I caught him, putting one arm around his shoulders and one on his arm, and saw the fury plain on his face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Help Quinzel and the others!" he scowled, racing forward with me.

Five Doctors and six guards were trying to contain him. I raised and eyebrow as I came to a stop then panicked when I saw he'd unhooked his straightjacket somehow.

My eyes widened when I saw why the guards were pointing guns.

Harley was there, enclosed in his arms. Terror was plain on her face.

"Now boys, do we, ah, really want to do this?" he asked. He was grinning from ear to ear and, even without his make-up, he seemed pretty scary.

I moved forward, holding up my hands to show I wasn't holding anything. His eyes flickered to me and I felt my heart thump when he glued his dark orbs to my light ones.

He had the eyes of an animal.

"What's going on here?" I asked softly. I heard Harley whimper.

"Shh-shh-shh-shh." the Joker hushed her, still smiling brightly. But he was suspicious, I could tell.

"Sir, what's wrong?" I asked. The other doctor's stared at me incuriously but, I only looked back at Jonathan. He was fixing his glasses again but he nodded in encouragement.

"Well, ya see, I just really don't like sedatives. In fact, I'm pretty impartial to them so, when someone comes at me with a needle, I'm not going to behave." he said, as if it were an every day thing. I nodded.

"Okay. So, if you let Doctor Quinzel go and let me redo your straightjacket, will you behave?" I asked calmly. The guards grumbled.

"It'll be hell getting him to his cell without sedatives." one said. I shot him a glare, then turned to the Joker, waiting for his answer to my question. He was backed against the wall, stretching Harley out against him like a human shield. She whimpered again and he shushed her, his grip on her neck moving up to her hair where he made odd, strong stroking motions.

"What's your name…" he crooned suddenly, his question directed at Harley. She looked up and gulped, obviously trying to be brave. Her usual high voice rang out in the silence.

"Doctor Quinzel."

I felt Jonathan come to stand beside me, his own hands turned over in front of him. No weapons.

The Joker growled.

"Your name, not your title!" he barked. Harley cringed.

"Harleen Quinzel." He seemed to ponder that, his mouth moving.

"Haaarrrleeen Quinzellll." he said, drawling out her name. He moved to whisper something in her ear. I saw Harley's eyes flash strangely. Then he released her and shoved her away, whooping in laughter.

As Harley stumbled to the ground, guards and Doctor's yelled beginning to converge on the man.

Jonathan shouted over them all.

"Quiet!" he hollered. I saw them all stare at him. Admittedly, so did I.

"Jonathan." I whispered. Momentarily, I'd forgotten he was my boss.

"Brookes, he cooperated. Let's do your part." he said, beginning to stroll forward as the Joker watched us.

I moved easily with him, gently taking the man by the shoulders and turning him around, trying not to shake as I wrapped the sleeves of the straightjacket around. He was still giggling.

"What'd you say to Doctor Quinzel?" I surprised myself by asking quietly. He tsked.

"Ah-ah, it's a secret." I finally got the hooks where they were supposed to be then led him over to the guards where they roughly grabbed him. I glared.

"He's just like the other patients you guys. Treat him like it." I said angrily. They eyed me but were more placid taking him up the stairs.

I turned to Harley, where she still was kneeling on the floor. Running over, I knelt down and put one hand under her arm, the other on her waist as I helped her up. Suddenly, I was really aware that she was several inches shorter than me and had much smaller arms.

She looked up at me and, to my surprise, grinned.

"Well I think that went well."

I laughed incuriously. Harley and her sense of humor.

* * *

The second we escorted him in, I could tell there was going to be trouble. He had a look in his eyes.

Then the nurse came at him with the needle and he showed us all how easily he could slip out of our straightjackets.

He swung at me first, laughing as he managed to shove me back. Several guards came at him at once. Apparently he was fighting them all off. But I panicked when he grabbed Quinzel.

_Who should I call? _I asked Scarecrow as I tried to restrain the man again. I ended up, flat on my back, on the floor.

_Obviously not a guard. _was his groaning reply. _You do realize when you hurt, I feel it too._

_Of course I realize that! Who should I get then?_

_Page Brookes. She's not with Zsasz today._

How come I hadn't remembered that? I immediately pulled out my pager and typed in a message. Not five seconds later I was back on my feet. He shoved a guard back and I went sprawling down again, feeling a seam in my suit tear. Oh well, this was worse.

I got up and stumbled back with a sense of vertigo.

Soft arms caught me and held me steady as I tried to regain my balance. For a second, I shut my eyes and wondered whose hands could feel so warm.

"Are you okay?"

Shit. It had to be her. Awkwardly, angrily, I hoisted myself back up.

"Help Quinzel and the others!"

She ran alongside me as we made our way towards the Joker. I think the Scarecrow was starting to get to me because, any other time, I would have thought of talking out of it too. But Brookes did good and, I marveled as I watched her talk him into letting Quinzel go.

_It's not me Jonny. Much as I'd like to think I'm gaining full control, you're too stubborn. I think your mind is just on, other things._

He directed my eyes towards Brookes' long legs. Today, they were concealed under black tights and I had to walk forwards to make my looking at her seem casual.

But her skirt was shorter today, above her knees…

_Dammit Scarecrow, no! She's a doctor._

_A doctor that is exceedingly attractive. _he chuckled.

I scowled and proceeded to quiet everyone down and help Deirdre with the Joker. He was still chuckling and Quinzel was still on the floor.

As we sent him off, Brookes automatically went to her friend and, as I walked up behind her, they laughed at something Harley had said. I knelt down and pulled out Quinzel's wrist to feel her pulse. It was calming down. Next I turned her head towards me, meeting two curious looks, and moved my finger in front of her eyes. They followed them well so, I stood.

"You seem to be fine Harleen. So, I'll leave you to recover and prepare for your meeting again tomorrow. I turned on my heels and began to walk away when a clack of heels came from behind me.

Panting slightly, Brookes caught up with me. To my surprise, she had a stern look on her face.

"My god man, you could at least pretend to be concerned. Harley was just attacked." she said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you accusing me of not being concerned?" I questioned. She sighed and stopped, gripping my arm as to hold me where I was.

"Can we get through one conversation without having disagreements?" she asked softly. I saw her hair was up again, tightly secured now. Then I wondered why I hadn't answered her and, instead, noticed this.

"Of course. If you're willing to walk with me back to my office."

She kept up pace well and didn't have to run to keep up as many with shorter legs did.

"What happened?" was her first questions a few moments later.

"The Joker was brought in and, when we sent a woman in to sedate him, she ran off afraid as he showed he had escaped his straightjacket and proceeded to start and fight of the guards. I tried a few times to gain control but, when that failed, I paged you since the guards were having no luck. I thought you might have more so than the others here." I answered simply. She nodded but, continued trekking along with me until we reached the third floor and I turned off.

"I need to speak to you about something privately as well." she said rather suddenly. I looked at her curiously but said nothing as we reached my office and I opened the door, gesturing for her to go in. She dipped her head and did so, standing just inside as I came in myself and shut the door.

To my surprise, she reached out and threw the deadbolt closed.

She then turned and faced me, crossing her arms.

"Doctor Crane, I've been thinking, I need to ask about what happened between us yesterday. I'm extremely, extremely confused." she said, burying her face in her hands.

Disgusted with myself, I realized I wanted to hold her until she felt better.

"I'm not sure what to say to that." I said softly. She looked up and I saw her eyes harden in confusion and fury.

"No. You know what to say. You just don't want to say anything." she accused.

"We're you the one pegged on not disagreeing?" I said, trying to curb the conversation. Maybe if there were another argument, I could ensure to stay way from it. But no, this time she wasn't dissuaded.

"Yes but I'm not arguing. I'm calling you out. So what happened?" she demanded.

"Nothing. I'm your boss, you're my employee. We had a misunderstanding an fought about it, I came to apologize." I said. She moved forward, this time letting her chest brush mine.

"What am I supposed to do now then? Just sit and wonder like I know you are?" she asked. I blinked and, very briefly, consulted with the Scarecrow.

_What should I do?_

_In this case, I think you should prove to her that you feel nothing and that she feels nothing by doing what you intended in the first place. _he said. It made no sense when he spoke illogically.

_What?_

_Kiss her you dumbfuck._

I was surprised but, leant forwards anyways, seeing awareness flash in her eyes.

Deirdre stretched up and, for a brief moment, my lips touched hers.

My god, the burn! I felt fire whip across my skin and smolder into me. It felt like someone was shooting off fireworks in my stomach.

Without thinking, I pressed further. She didn't seem to care. Her arms encircled my neck, yanking me down further. I couldn't help myself. I snatched her hips and yanked them into my own, her shoes, I suddenly became aware, brought her up to my height.

...

The Scarecrow's shocked, wordless silence was more than welcome. But it shocked me out of my trance I jerked back. She looked at me, her face flushed, panting.

"I felt absolutely nothing." I said coldly.

Her face changed dramatically. It turned to stone in front of me and she instantly became professional again.

"Well, I guess that makes two of us."

She turned and moved over to the door. But, as she unlocked it, I leaned against it, faking casualness.

"Will you be leaving me be now?" I said sarcastically. She looked up, her odd gray eyes seeming to stare straight through me.

"If you wish it director."

And she shoved the door open against my deadweight, squeezing herself out.


	8. So Open and Exposed

**A/N: okay. I'm going to tell you that this chapter may be a little fun for everyone 'cept Deirdre. I also have to tell you that I'm sorry but, I had writers block and had to work hard to get this chapter up this early. You might have been waiting months. I do not own Batman.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

_So Open and Exposed_

_~Broken, __**Lindsay **_

Leaving his office was harder than last time. Last time I'd been angry, furious at him for using me as an excuse to get away from court.

This time, I was dismayed.

How dare he.

How dare he!

If he hadn't felt what I had, he needn't be so calm about it. Why couldn't he have crushed me? It would have been ten times easier than this. He could have jerked back the second our lips touched but no, he stayed there, didn't move, forced me to try and make him respond to something.

I wanted solid proof that the machine up there was human. Solidified, honest, visible proof that he wasn't some emotionless bastard.

I needed to talk to someone and, luck be a lady, Harley met me in my office. She had this look on her face as I walked over, a look that told me I was in for hell.

"Sit down. You are going to talk to me." she said fiercely, pointing at the chair in front of her. She was sitting at my desk. _My _desk.

"I'm a doctor Harleen. I can take care of myself." I said, refusing to move.

"Sit."

Her face contorted into this weird snarl. I could literally see almost all of her teeth and the lipstick made it look like she would suck my blood out if she could.

I sat.

* * *

_What the hell was that?_

_I don't know._

_Don't give me that shit Jonny, I know what you felt!_

_Nothing! I felt nothing!_

_Don't lie to me! That's it, I'm taking over!_

_The hell you are!_

_You wanna see Jonny boy?_

I felt Jonathan being dragged into the shadows as I pulled myself forcibly out. He was furious, yes, but I really could care less.

Finally. Now I could feel the tingling sensation running over his skin, feel his heat flushed face. It was my own. And it wasn't as if I hadn't enjoyed that either. In fact, I'd quite appreciated it.

So, I smirked when Jonny frantically tried to deny it like a startled rabbit. If there was one thing to scare him, it was me.

"Nomad. Has he gotten in contact?" I asked. I should know but, just in case I didn't…

_No. He must have seen all the hullabaloo on the tube and gotten startled. I don't blame him. _Jonny said, still irritated. I growled and strummed my fingers on his desk, tilting my head to crack it. Jonathan didn't approve. Oh boo hoo, he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Well, we need to find him soon. What else are we supposed to do until then?" I asked, leaning down and fishing her file out of the desk drawer to me left.

_We sit tight and don't cause too much trouble. I know you want to be back out there but, with the newest DA on our tails, we can't take too many risks._

As much as I disliked the idea, the boy was right.

I flipped open the file and strummed through it, looking for her history.

"Hmm, did you know she got her first job at thirteen?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. It was a normal job for a teenager, a bag girl at a local grocery store. Her next job was listed a year later, working as a waitress at a restaurant at fifteen as well as doing community service for her school. Smart girl, she got started early on.

I pondered my fascination with her.

It wasn't so much her looks and her brain as much as it was with Jonny. It was her emotions that got to me. She was so easily in control yet, so easily controlled at the same time.

I wanted to know what she feared.

Would it be a man or an animal? Blood or bugs? Or would it be like Jonny boy here, fearing only fear himself. I chuckled a little at that but, also rubbed at my nose.

"Remind me to thank the Joker for offing Dawes." I growled. Jonathan smirked.

_I'll be sure to tell Doctor Quinzel, 'my sociopath alter ego said, to tell the Joker, he appreciates him killing the steadfast girl who tased him in the face.'_

I cackled, managing to keep it quiet. Still, my mind had the tendency to wander and it wandered to that scar on Brooke's head.

"It obviously continues and it had just healed when you saw it. The girl had something happen to her." I commented.

_It's possible, though highly unlikely in this city, that she simply tripped. On the other hand, she said she got too close to a project which leads me believe she was speaking of a patient. She could have been attacked._

I nodded. That seemed probable.

_Or she could have had an accident with an actual project and sliced her head with a scalpel._

Jonny's poor attempt at humor almost made me want to cry. My snide-comment-to-be was interrupted a phone rang. I let my voice calm down, making an effort to have it seem less throaty.

"Jonathan Crane."

I was pleased with the way that came out sounding. Just like the arrogant, calm, ass-hole Jonathan was.

"Tonight. River." a small voice sounded. I hung up, thinking. Eventually, I got bored with simply sitting there and let Jonny sink back into control, enjoying the moment our selves passed each other in his mind.

_Bring the toxin._

_When do I not bring the toxin?_

_Good point._

_You need to talk to Brookes._

_What?_

_Do it or I will break into her house and talk to her myself._

_Damn you._

* * *

I wanted to die as I explained everything that had been happening to Harley. She didn't say anything. She only sighed once I was finished and took off her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

She looked up, about to say something when a knock on the door interrupted her. Before either of us could give permission for whomever it was on the other side to enter, they did.

I felt my face harden and looked away once Jonathan stepped inside.

Harley stood up after I did, walking towards him as I turned away. I could hear her whispering something angrily then slamming the door on her way out. For a moment, there was silence that I beat him to breaking.

"What?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain hard.

"You're a very silly girl."

That caught my attention. I turned, glaring at him.

"How so?" I demanded. I saw his lips twitch but, the rest of him remained unmoved by my automatic response.

"You think the lab coat, the professionalism, and that respect you hand out like free candy is helping you. If anything, it makes you look silly. The other doctor's may not see through the façade but I do." he said. What the hell was he playing at?

The only thing I could think to do was retaliate. I glared at him, realizing the anger coursing through me felt good, made me feel stronger.

"Better me, a silly girl with my respect and my lab coat than you. You're just a little boy with a suit and fear." I growled.

His eyes flashed in surprise and I felt momentary triumph.

"I didn't come here to belittle you." he said. I scoffed.

"Of course you didn't. Let me guess, you came to apologize again." I said sarcastically, turning back around and moving over to the window in my office, staring at the grounds. There were inmates down there, enjoying their day.

Today, I felt more prisoner than they were.

"I came here to tell you that your last report on the Victor Zsasz case a week ago is somewhat questionable. You believe he is not insane?" he questioned. I turned, yet again, and looked at him, wondering what he was asking me.

"What's the problem, director?" I asked, sneering the last word.

"I believe you're wrong."

I laughed at that. That's why he came up here? To tell me I was wrong then lecture me on why? How utterly and completely like Crane.

"If you think I'm wrong have him declared insane like my opinion means nothing. After all, I'm just a silly girl." I said.

"Do I detect a hint of bitterness doctor?" he asked. I actually growled.

"No, Doctor Crane. I'm merely questioning why you would assign me the case if you thought I was going to screw up." I said.

"I gave you the case because I saw potential." he said. I felt my eyes narrow.

"What's your problem with my diagnosis?" I asked.

"Zsasz places human bodies in every day positions. He has a clear obsession with killing and even shows schizophrenic tendencies. He mentioned in a recorded interview that he loves seeing the fear in their eyes as they die." he said. I snapped.

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you doctor?" I snarled. The realization of what I just said caused me to pull a hand over my mouth, stumbling back in slight shocked. I shook my head, looking down in shame.

"Would I now?" was the quiet response I got. I shook my head again, not willing to meet his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." I said in a hushed tone.

"Yes you did. People seldom say things they don't mean. That expression is only used when others feel guilty about their accusations." he said. Did he have to clarify my apology too?

"Fine. I did mean that but I only said it because I was angry." I said instead, finally looking up but, avoiding his forget-me-not blue gaze.

"Fair enough. Please explain why you deem him ready for the trial of a sane man." he said, the politeness back in his tone. He had slipped back into the 'I'm going to pretend I'm speaking to a complete stranger' tone. Back to square one.

"He's like the Joker. A good actor. When you actually listen to him, he has to think about what he's going to say before he answers. That also makes him smart. Now, he doesn't value life at all. He's bored with it and sees people living their pointless lives so, he kills them because he doesn't value a pointless life as much as an exciting one. That of a serial killer. He's just an extreme level adrenaline junkie." I said, trying to make it easy to understand my point of view.

"Interesting idea. If I were to present it to court, do you think they would listen?" he asked. Yet another, heartless, calculated question.

"No, I don't. But neither do I think presenting it to doctor's here will get you any other reaction unlike yours." I said.

"So why write such a report at all?" he asked. I looked at him, finally surprised enough to bring my eyes to his.

"Doctor, it's my job to report the truth and not lies to please the public. I have a very differentiated view on those they call insane. There are people who truly need help and people who would just screw with the public's mind to avoid a sentence." I said, somewhat confused as to why anyone would write a false report.

"You have no idea how naive you are." he said, pity in his voice. My gaze turned to a glare quickly.

"How am I naïve?" I asked. He sighed and stepped forward, taking my shoulders.

"If you think I won't figure out what caused such an odd opinion on these criminals, then you're severely mistaken. It would be easier if you just told me." he said. I felt my heart hammer to the beat of one name in fear.

_Darren Jacobs, Darren Jacobs._

I shook his hands off my shoulder. I really didn't enjoy being touched so often. He could only get away with so much.

"I hope you enjoy your disappointment Jonathan. My opinion is my own. With all due respect, please leave my study. I have work to do." I said. I turned around and held my breath for several seconds until I heard him walk out.


	9. Nothing to Fear

A/N: I hath returned! I am scraping the bottom of my muse barrel to do this but this story will continue! I SWEAR IT! I do not own Batman, BTW. Oh, and a little surprise from Harley in this chapter. nudge nudge, wink wink.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

_"Nothing to Fear."_

It was almost nighttime, almost time for me to go.

I pushed my mask down into my jacket pocket and pulled the trench coat around me.

Around the same time I walked out of my office, I saw another, tall, slight body making it's way down the stairs. even if I couldn't see what she was wearing underneath her own coat, I knew the hair colour and style enough to realize it was Brookes.

_Go talk to her!_

My legs suddenly lurched forward without my permission and I forced myself back into the controlling state of mind. If I wasn't careful, he'd pop out when I didn't need him to.

"Doctor?"

She paused at the foot of the stairs, tensing as I came to stand beside her.

"Yes Director?"she asked quietly, holding her chin high.

Ah we were back to that then, wonderful. Now I was going to have to work harder to get her back.

_Or you could let me out and I could do the work for you._ The Scarecrow grumbled angrily, upset I'd reclaimed control of my body.

"I will present your theory in court. I merely meant to inform you I don't think it will be believed." I said, struggling to remain polite and not seize her by her shoulders, demanding what the hell else she could possible want from me.

She paused, then her face went back down as she looked at her feet, continuing on her way. I followed her easily.

"Thank you, then... But I'm an honest woman and I think that people need to get used to the idea that I'm not going to report what I don't fully believe." she said quietly, not bringing up anything said between us before.

"Goodnight Doctor." I said cordially, as we reached the bottom of the stairs. She went, with a nod, to punch out her time card.

After a few moments, I did the same, wondering when I should let the Scarecrow out.

_When we get to the river._

_Agreed._

* * *

Once we were out of sight of Arkham and covered by the rain that was gently falling down, I slipped on the mask, working my way down the river bends, towards the bridge.

"The Scarecrow, I take it?" came a voice, young but cold. I saw a shadow step forwards, noticed the gleam of dark eyes reflected by the rising moon.

"Nomad?" I asked roughly, letting my voice be my own, slipping out of Jonathan's calm, smooth tone.

"Yes. Sorry I couldn't meet at our earlier destination but, I brought what you originally asked me for." he said. I held up my hand to catch what he threw at me A compact disk in its case.

"How'd you find it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow underneath the mask.

A laugh answered me. A somewhat familiar laugh that I tilted my head at. It was a little too high to belong to the voice that had sounded earlier but, still unidentifiable.

I was about to ask him when he sounded his opinion.

_I don't know either._

The dark figure back up a step then, held out a hand, covered in a glove much too large for it.

"Cash?" back to the original voice.

"Nothing to fear. Here ya go." I said, digging a bag out of my pocket and tossing it to him. It had ten twenty dollar bills in it, enough to satisfy him, I hoped.

He looked through it for a moment, then turned and took off into the night. I didn't bother following.

Slipping off my mask, I put both items now in my hands back into the pockets of the large coat around me.

"Let's get to your house and your computer." I growled.

* * *

I groaned, wondering why I had ever decided to start carpooling with Harley.

I'd been up here, parked on the side of the road of this godforsaken bridge for half an hour, waiting for her to make up her god damn mind. What could she possible be doing?

She said she'd had to meet someone, and I got that, but what the hell kind of meeting made a friend wait for thirty minutes?

Suddenly she was back in the car, ripping of her huge black coat and tossing it into the backseat, taking her hair out of her hat and shaking like a dog to get rid of access water. She was holding a brown paper bag, all rolled up and crinkled. I narrowed my eyes.

"Harley, those aren't drug are they?" I asked.

That got a laugh out of her, a laugh that started out oddly lower than usual but, regained its high tone as she flushed and opened it, waving a twenty in my face.

"Nope. I had to pick up some money from a friend. They owed me cause I helped them pay off rent." she said brightly, starting up her sleek red convertible and beginning to drive.

"Ah. Oh hey, tomorrow's Saturday right? We still on for the jujitsu classes?" I asked. Harley and I had started taking self defense together when we were in college. Pity I hadn't thought to use the moves on Zsasz or Darren but, as always, my mind often blanked when I was in danger.

Harley nodded, her eyes distracted as she weaved in and out of traffic. I'd learned to stop criticizing her driving after a while. It was pointless when her mind was always miles away from mine.

I just sat back, and waited to be dropped off at home.

* * *

I got home alright, Jonathan yelling at me the entire way.

_Watch the stop sign!_

_You hit the curb!_

_This is a one way street!_

God, he was so damn annoying. So what if I disobeyed a few lousy traffic laws? We got there ten minutes fast than when he drove.

_Next time, I drive! _he yelled, finally breaking off into a few growls as it became clear that I was only going to ignore him.

Walking into the house was easy enough, it was when I got to the computer that I started getting the shakes.

What could have possibly happened to little Doctor Brookes?

Pushing the disk into the hardware, I knew I was about to find out. A video clip appeared on the screen. It was black and white, but much clearer than I had expected. Even Jonny shut up to watch this one.

I saw Brookes walk into the room. Barely a few words were exchanged before it happened. I hit the pause button and caught it just as the man launched himself across the table. I saw him rip her hair out, small black clips falling around them. Where the hell were the guards?

I heard her shrieking for him to get off, felt my heart accelerate at the sound of her screams. That was only a recording. Listening to it up close though.

Shivers.

A long scream was cut off as he got his hands around her throat. I was distinctly reminded of the Joker holding Harleen.

Her head, I watched, was repeatedly slammed into the ground. Her body was slumping when, finally, the guards burst in and began to drag the man off her. Deirdre was unconscious, obviously unmoving but, her body gasped with air.

A few other doctors came in and helped her up. There was a buzzing, too indistinct even on this high definition but, Nomad seemed to have taken care of that.

Subtitled appeared for me. Brookes murmuring through what was probably a black haze.

**I got too close**

_Well... this explains a lot._

I jerked as the Scarecrow willingly gave me control of my own body to ponder things on his own, in the darker corner of my mind. I sighed, burying my head in my hands.

"Yes it does. Now, how to use this?" I asked.

_We can't just blackmail her. There's nothing but this. They won't take her job away when they see how well she gets on and we'll be in serious shit. But we do know why she's afraid of making mistakes now._

"Yes. So, how are we going to do anything? We could just... turn on the charm?" I said begrudgingly. The Scarecrow chuckled and my eyes widened when I heard where he was going.

_You mean I could just turn on the charm._

I was going to protest when my jaw snapped shut without my permission.

_Don't deny it Jonny boy, you have no idea how to talk to girls. Let me do it._

We argued back and forth for about an hour, me with my silent testimony and him with his persuasive, not to mention accurate analyzing of the situation.

"Fine!" I finally snapped, furious that I saw no way out of the corner he had backed me into.

_Good. _he hummed, pleased with himself. _Now... what's for dinner? And don't say fish. You always burn the fish._


	10. I'm Thinking of You

A/N: oh come on you guys, Harley's smarter than people give her credit for *cough*_Para_ *cough*. She plays a crucial character here so, I gave her a skill that would make it easier for her to know things around the asylum. She's a computer hacker and the fact that she was illegally doing things before she met the Joker just... completes her. It means she was already a little into the thrill of crime. Okay, I know it's been a while but I can finally update this. Whoot! Oh, I don't own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_"I'm thinking of you."_

_~Thinking of You, __**Katy Perry**_

"Pair up for crescent kicks!" came the call from our instructor.

"Yes sensei!" an obedient cry from the entire class.

Harley and I immediately found each other. She grinned at me and took the defensive pose automatically. I sighed. She always made me go first.

"Whatsa matter? Chicken?" she said under her breathe. I scowled. She wished. I didn't wait for her to be ready.

Instead, I swung my foot up and caught her squarely in the jaw, knocking her to the ground. I returned back to the ground, ready in the defensive pose, covering my chin with my hand like she should have.

"No. I was waiting for you to be ready but, since you obviously had better to do." I said, narrowing my eyes.

She growled and swung back to her feet, immediately doing the same but, I caught her foot. She fell, scowling at me. Her eyes blazed as I grinned.

"You really want to do this Dee?" she asked, amused. I waved my hand at her and we went to step on to the other side of the room.

Our instructor had put that side of the room away for people who needed to exert some energy and angst.

The second we bowed, the fight started.

Harley managed to get the upper hand early on, obviously pissed at me. She got me in a scoop flip and managed a choke hold. I finished the fight, however, by punching her in the face, pulling us both up, and round-house kicking her back to the other side. We bowed and she laughed. i grinned at her.

My dysfunctional relationship with Harley is unexplainable.

I sighed.

As was my odd relationship with Jonathan. We fought too much to be friends, we thought on the same wavelength too often to be enemies. So what were we?

Complicated.

We were complicated.

I tried to focus on my class but, no matter how hard I tried, my mind kept drifting to other, more complicated matters.

Matters with bright blue eyes and dark wavy hair.

* * *

I was ready to shoot myself.

The Scarecrow was, quite literally, driving me crazy.

_Too late._

_Shut up.... Shut Up.... SHUT UP!_

_Wow Jonny, bad mood much? _he snickered. I growled furiously.

_I didn't sleep well._

_I'll say. You do realize, when you dream of her, I do too?_

"SHUT UP!" I shouted. He didn't recoil. Alas, on the inside, I felt him smirking and groaned. It was enough for her to kiss me like she had but to actually start dreaming about it was crossing the line.

"Oh lighten up." came the scowl from my own mouth. I tried to fight him off but, to my surprise, he was trying to meld with me, a disgusting prospect on its own.

"What the hell?" I asked, noticing, with alarm, as my voice dropped.

"You agreed last night. We've got to do this right, you're going to have to trust me." a smug quirk of the brow and I put my head down on the table.

"Well, why are we doing this now then?" I complained.

"Because, we're paying her a visit."

_WHAT?!_

I was fading into the back of my own head, only able to control my bodily motions now. He was taking control of everything else.

"She forgot something at the office." he said, nonchalantly.

I wondered what he was talking about until he reached into his pocket and took out a notepad. I recognized the handwriting immediately.

_Where did you get that?_

"You're really unobservant when your attention is on her. I took it from her desk when neither of you noticed. Which is sad, seeing as I'm stuck with you." he sneered, amused. I wanted to punch him but, I would probably end up hurting myself instead.

"Great, so it's settled Let's go. We're walking."

_Why can't we drive?_

"Because then she'll automatically know it's us and want to prepare herself. The element of surprise can scare many a crow."

If I was supposed to get any of that, I certainly didn't.

* * *

I was resting, stroking my cat, who was purring in my lap. So far, my day spent with Harley had been a success though, very tiring. She had forced me into going to her apartment because she had shorts to give me that no longer fit her. They barely covered half my thighs but, seeing as the nightgown didn't either, I had no argument and took them with a smile. They'd make nice summer clothes.

So long as I didn't walk through the Narrows.

Suddenly the doorbell rang and I looked up curiously, gently picking up my cat and setting her on the couch. Christine didn't look happy but, she curled up and put her tail over her nose. I moved over to the door, not bothering with looking out the peephole.

I wish I had.

Opening the door, I felt my eyes widened to see Jonathan standing there, leaning against the door frame, looking more casual than I had ever seen him.

He still wore a suit, of course, but he looked so different. His tie was loosened around his neck to the point that it wasn't even under the collar anymore. His glasses were crooked and that general sense of superiority had vanished.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was barely clothed. Mainly because I saw him glance down and quirk a brow.

"Doctor Cr-" I began, pulling my arms around my waist in sudden panic. He cut me off, quite literally putting his thumb over my lips.

"It's Jonathan, away from the office Deirdre." he murmured, his voice lower than I'd ever heard.

I pushed his hand away in slight defiance, watching amusement spring into his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demanded hotly, still conscious of the fact that I was tugging my nightgown down as far as it could possibly go.

Of all the things he could have seen me in, it was this.

"Can't I check on my friends?" the innocence in his tone was almost too good to be true. Call me crazy but, I believed it.

* * *

Her facial features softened considerably. She even smiled awkwardly, which I returned with an almost Jonny-like shyness.

_How do you do that? I can't even get her to stop glaring anymore? _Jonathan scowled.

_Jealous._

_Hell no._

"You consider me a friend?" the question came so softly at first that I wasn't sure I heard it right. But, I rarely doubt myself so, I just went with my first instinct and said what I thought would be right.

"Do you consider me one?" quiet but, louder than she'd spoken as I leaned in slightly, capturing her attention.

"You're my boss. I think I'm supposed to dislike you some of the time." she said, her tone somewhat playful. I could tell that this day had been good to her.

If it hadn't, I probably would have left the second she swatted my hand.

"Outside the office, I'd prefer it if we had a better relationship." I said, quirking my head like Jonathan did.

He was helping me a little bit, falling into what was familiar to him.

"Alright. But... why _did _you come by? Out of mundane curiosity." she asked, stepping by to allow me entrance. Immediately, I pulled the small notebook out of my hand and handed it to her.

"You dropped this."

Her eyes widened considerably and she gently took it between her fingers, flipping through the ages.

"Thank you. Erm... you want something to eat or drink while you're here?" she asked, gesturing about.

I shook my head, moving over, instead, and bending down to pick up the cat that was circling my feet. I heard Jonny groan as a few stray hairs collected on my arms.

_Oh lighten up, it'll wash out._

_Please put that pest down._

_Hmmm.... No._

Looking up, I noticed Deirdre was watching me with curiosity. I turned towards her, feeling the cat curl up sleepily in my arms.

"She looks tired."

"Oh, Christine is always tired. She's always been lazy." Deirdre replied, still desperately looking like she was trying not to pay attention to the fact that her choice of sleepwear showed me a pair of very long, very attractive pale legs.

"What do you want to do then?" she asked. I almost raised an eyebrow but, the innocence in her voice was too believable which meant she hadn't noticed her own innuendo.

So instead of moving too quickly, I decided to just move closer, handing her her cat, apparently called Christine, and gestured to the couch.

"Just talk."

She nodded and followed me.

I couldn't help but notice. Her hair was still clipped back.

I wondered if she would ever let it down again.


	11. I Can't get her Off my Brain

A/N: God I feel like I've been neglecting one of my babies. But, I adore this story too much to give it up. I'll be finishing this up when I can. Please leave me reviews if you subscribed. It makes me sad when people don't tell me what they think, good or bad. I don't own batman.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_"I can't get her off my brain."_

_~If you Seek Amy, __**Britney Spears**_

"So I'll see you at work tomorrow." I said, smiling a little fondly as she escorted me to the door.

"Of course Jonathan. I will most certainly be there. And I'm sorry you had to drive up here just to give me my notes." she said, flushing a little in embarrassment. I held up a hand, shaking my head.

"No. It was a pleasure. you've been fairly kind Miss Brookes." I said. With a cordial dip of my head, I began to walk down the stares. I hid a grin as I felt her eyes on me for a few moments before she shut the door.

"How was that Johnny?" I asked, chuckling under my breathe.

_Where did you get so much experience with women?_

"Johnny, you don't seem to recall the few times in the past that I've taken that medication to shut you up. There have been a few nights that you don't even remember." I said, smirking at the resounding silent shock in my head.

_Not recently I hope. _he shuddered.

I rolled my eyes as I strolled towards the door. I waved lazily at the man who was obviously the night manager.

"You know _Jonathan_," I said, using his entire name just to mock him and, to an extent, Deirdre. "It's exactly that attitude that has you in this current predicament. What is it about relationships that you find so repulsive?"

_I've had bad experiences with righteous women like Deirdre in the past. As have you._

His thoughts, technically my thoughts, had taken a dark turn with that. As a tic my hand came up to the bridge of my nose. I could almost feel the electricity.

"Damned Rachel Dawes. Deserved a prize for being the most annoying, prying little do-gooder in Gotham. Too bad she met a painful demise before she could received her award." I scowled.

_Very funny. And now, what exactly did this night accomplish. _I felt him reviewing the events, a almost odd sensation. It was as if we were working separately but, at the same time, together. It never ceased to amaze me how peculiar this was.

I climbed into the car, feeling a sense of panic surface in me, probably Johnny trying to get out and drive. I let him. I wanted to recede to privacy.

_She's quite interesting. somewhat annoying with her polite, proper tone but... interesting. _The Scarecrow commented as I shuddered, regaining control. I was fairly annoyed that we had to work through this system whenever someone else needed control but, it was better than being stuck inside all the time.

It was at times like this when I envied the Scarecrow's ability to be comfortable in every situation.

"And this helps us... how?" I asked, adjusting my glasses and backing out, carefully taking to the roads.

_I picked up on a few things. She doesn't like not having answers, constantly seeks knowledge. She's got a huge fire in her that she hides with that ridiculously long hair. And she has a cat named Christine that we can hold hostage if we need her attention. _he finished sarcastically.

"I could have told you th-" his thoughts cut me off.

_And... she's afraid of making mistakes._

I rubbed my head, stopping to let a Subaru pass at a stop sign. Where the hell did he get that from? I could almost see his sardonic smirk.

_She flinches when she does something wrong or makes a klutzy move. Not to mention she was fairly embarrassed over just leaving a few pages of notes in __her__ office. She also has a completely organized apartment. Perfectly, almost frighteningly, clean and orderly. Almost. _he explained.

Why hadn't I picked up on these things. A cackle echoed in the recesses of my head.

_Because you weren't looking at the apartment a few nights ago. You were looking at her legs, her arms, that very flirtatious neckli-_

"Silence." I said through gritted teeth.

_ne. _he continued, still laughing. _Not to mention you weren't looking at the state of her cleanly office either. Too busy watching her move around._

"If it wouldn't mean hitting myself I would punch you right now." I scowled.

Another cackle.

_And I would win a fight. And then we'd be just like Tyler Durden and 'Joe.'_

He had me confused again. I pulled into the parking lot as I felt my eyes roll, him trying to surface.

"Fight Club you nitwit. You may be a good doctor Johnny but you sure as hell don't pay attention to anything outside your studies." I said, pulling myself out. Jonathan protested, again, but I was getting stronger.

It was actually quite fun to overpower him at times. But, for now, I had to decide on how we would use this.

* * *

I melted against my doorframe after Jonathan left. what had that been about?

Christine trotted over, pawing at my feet.

"You don't deserve the name I gave you." I said, smiling as I picked her up. She meowed and licked my nose with her sandpaper tongue. She was nothing like the girl in Phantom of the Opera, the only exception being her innate curiosity.

She meowed again and batted at my face with soft, sheathed claws.

I wondered if she was as confused about our director's actions as I was.

He hated me, then he kissed me. He won't let me do the job he hired me for, then took time to drive to my house just to give me notes I could have picked up tomorrow.

I sighed and began to carry my cat back to my room. I needed sleep.

* * *

The next day at work, I wasn't scheduled to speak with Zsasz, so I went to check in on Harley, who'd shown up two hours before me to get working on the Joker's case.

When I got to her office, I opened the door and was greeted by shock.

Harley was there all right. And she had an ice pack over her throat. She smiled at me wryly as I walked in.

"What happened?"I demanded. Her eyes shadowed and I could tell she was going to lie before a word made it out of her mouth.

"I fell on the stairs." she said, rather unconvincingly.

"And hit your neck. Really Harleen?" I scowled, tearing her very reluctant hands away.

I felt my eyes widen and saw the shame in Harley's gaze.

Fresh red marks marred her throat. Long fingers and, at the very edges, were small fingerprints made my hands that were used to touching a painted white face.

"First you give him his make-up back then this." I growled, shoving her back. Her chair spun to face me as I knelt, inspecting her with a scrutinizing gaze. The red rimmed eyes, the pink nose, her paled out cheeks. She had been crying too.

"It's not his fault. He just had a bad day." she protested. I stood suddenly, towering over her.

I tore my hair out of it's bun and ripped it back, parting it in a jagged line along the side.

She winced and looked away from the angry red scar that now covered half my head. I had been lucky that it was in a place where I could hide it.

"Darren had a bad day too Harley. You think _this _is how to deal with it? Lying and hiding it? I want you off the case. Doctor Crane was right. You're too young." I said, turning, completely determined to march straight up to Jonathan's office and tell him about this when I felt deadweight attach to me. I turned, incredulous, to see Harley, her arms wrapped around my ankle like a stubborn four year old, an equally determined look in her eye.

"No! Come on Deer! This is my case! I don't want it to be given to anyone else. This could make me!" she protested.

"Or break you." I warned.

"Please Deirdre. He's not gonna kill me or anything! He's just volatile. If he thinks he can trust me this will make things easier." she pleaded.

"Get off my foot!" I growled, trying to kick her off. No luck. She held firm. I started walking, her body dragging out behind me.

"Fine Harley. This will get you fired and I can stop worrying all together. " I said, reaching for the door. A clang caught my attention and I turned again, dubious.

Harley had wrapped her legs around a leg of her desk, which was bolted to the floor.

"Deirdre please." she said once more. I groaned and leaned against the wall, giving up. I turned, pointing a finger at her.

"If he kills you I'm going to say it was your fault." I growled. Harley squealed and squeezed my ankle, something I would take as a hug. She let go of the desk and pulled herself up, brushing off her lab coat as if nothing had happened.

"Deirdre. i'm going to need some help hiding this." she said, pointing to her neck. I sighed and shrugged off my own coat. I, as I often did in the colder Gotham months, was wearing a turtleneck.

"Trade." I said, beginning to lift up the hem as Harley got the picture and tossed her own coat to the floor.

* * *

Since there was relatively nothing else for me to do today, I was running errands for Doctor Flynn. He was a nice man, older than Crane and I put together, and he just had me walking about with him, helping out with some of the less dangerous patients, generally letting me hang off his side and leech off of experience for a day.

As it was, it was lunch break and we were in the staff lounge. He was telling me about one of his cases a few years ago. I supposed twenty-three years ago wasn't that long ago for him but, honestly, I was a toddler when he was going through this case.

"So I was talking to this young man, incredibly bright, fairly decent but he had multiple personality disorder. His other half is some sort of genius computer hacker but, incredibly dangerous." he said, shaking a frail, withered finger at me as I smiled wryly. It wasn't that I didn't agree with his saying that split personality was dangerous.

I was just finding it hard to laugh about how he still used the older term for Dissociative Identity Disorder.

"Mind if I join you?" came a quiet rush of air straight on the back of my neck. I jumped a little, turning to see Jonathan standing there, bent over so he could reach my height. He smiled a little, that odd light I noticed in his eyes the night before flickering.

I looked at Doctor Flynn who nodded in approval.

"I was telling this charming young woman about one of my first cases here." he said, slowly but surely gaining my respect by not calling me a girl. A somewhat eager look appeared in his eyes and, I could tell, he was a story teller. "Would you like to hear as well Director?"

"I'm always interested in hearing about past cases." Jonathan said smoothly, resting a brown paper bag on the table and dipping his hand into it. I looked at my own untouched lunch and began to do the same, realizing I was too hung up on the elderly doctor's words to have remembered to eat. My break ended in fifteen minutes.

"Well this young lad is carted in for a therapy session one day and he's in a bad mood, I can tell. I didn't think a transition could happen so quickly but, he got overworked while I was trying to get him calm and damn near bit my finger off." the man chuckled, holding up his hand. I raised my eyebrows, noticing for the first time, that the very tip of his finger was, indeed missing.

Doctor Crane smirked and started eating a sandwich. I pulled my pomegranate out and peeled it, starting to pop the seeds into my mouth. I smiled, relishing the taste.

There was silence for a few minutes as we all started eating. I liked this kind of day.

It reminded me that, even in a hell hole like Gotham, there could still be a few nice moments.

Tensed up, however, as something nudged my foot under the table. I looked at Crane who, in turn, smiled at me a little. There was that a nudge.

Was that...

Was that his foot?

I didn't know how to respond to that. I felt my ears turn pink at the edges and tilted my head a little, letting my usual loose strands of hair from messy up do cover it.

I turned back to Doctor Flynn and asked, "So, have you worked in other places besides Arkham?"

He considered that for a moment before waving it off.

"Not anywhere important. I helped out as a library aid when I was in college and ad a job as a busboy in a restaurant when I was a young man."

That wasn't exactly a long, drawn out response I'd been hoping for to avoid Crane's gaze.

"Pomegranate." he said. We both looked at him at that one. He inclined his head towards the fruit in my hand. I nodded.

"Yes. I'm eating a pomegranate." I said slowly, wondering what he was trying to point out.

I wasn't expecting him to burst into speech. Obviously, neither was Flynn as we both fell back into our seats as he did.

"That's a highly symbolic fruit. It's image is woven into the robe of High Priests of the Hebrew religion as well as being featured in many Christian paintings, such as one by Leonardo da Vinci himself. It was also the very fruit that trapped Persephone into marriage to the Lord of the Underworld in Greek mythology." he said, taking a bite of his own sandwich as he finished. I don't think we broke eye contact once.

I was a little taken aback. I wasn't exactly surprised by Jonathan's berth of knowledge but, was surprised with his ease of remembering all of that. I surprised myself even further by smiling.

"That's quite interesting Director. Where did you learn all that?" I asked softly. I noticed Doctor Flynn studying our interaction with interest. Jonathan's answering smile was a little darker than I'd seen it before and it made me falter a little in my lightness.

"I read quite avidly as a child and spent much time in the library at Gotham University. It was a subject of ridicule to the other children." he said.

Was there actually pain in his voice. I blinked softly, as if I found something suddenly familiar about that tone of voice. The childish... pain.

There was something there that I remembered. Something that confused me.

My eyes were suddenly drawn to the hem of his sleeves. There was a dark stain there, barely noticeable, and it was worn. As if he had been wearing this for some time now. It hit me, with sudden shock, that this was the same thing he'd been wearing last night. And the day before. Only the tie had changed.

He noticed my gaze and stood. I noticed he'd finished eating.

"Well, my time here is over. Thank you for letting me eat with you two. I will see you tomorrow Doctor Flynn, De-" he cut himself off, shaking his head. "Doctor Brookes."

With an awkward dip of his head, he turned and left, throwing his bag into the trash on the way out.

De... _Dee... Why does that sound so familiar from him?_

I was perplexed now, turning back to Doctor Flynn. No explanation lay in his eyes.


	12. Living in Sin is the New Thing

A/N: Yay! My muse has returned. I'm having fun with this. Deirdre found out dear Craney's secret. If you're wondering what she could possibly do with that, let's just put it this way: Doctor Brookes enjoys playing psychologist and being one. as much as Crane is learning about her, she's learning about him. And now, she figures out a huge piece of the puzzle. As you can notice, I'm into Britney these days who, though I lost most of my respect for her a few years back, regained my attention by fighting as hard as insanely possible to get her kids and her life back. So, these two chapters feature her songs. I do not own Batman. To those wondering, Deirdre's dream tic is not something I stole from Twilight *rolls eyes at accusation of a friend* it's actually something I do. I'll realize I'm dreaming, while the dream is going on.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_"Living in sin is the new thing."_

_~3, __**Britney Spears**_

After lunch, even with the good Doctor Flynn keeping me company, I couldn't get Jonathan off my mind.

He had reminded me of something then. I couldn't remember who and it was beyond me how he could look so completely familiar and still be so elusive.

Naturally, as I went home, I went to look it up. I wasn't proud of myself or my completely irresistible urge to figure this out.

But, I was confused and I wanted to know what about Jonathan had appealed to my memory. And damn it I was going to find out. Of course, typing it into my computer was no help. I either got Gotham News reports from a year ago or Facebook accounts.

I may have been reading him wrong but, something told me Jonathan didn't have a Facebook.

So, I rolled my eyes, shutting down my laptop and getting up to feed Christine. Silly vat, didn't even want food. She did, however, take a few laps of water as i walked to sit on my bed, wondering what the hell was going on?

"Why am I stuck in this crap?" I murmured.

The phone rang and I blinked curiously, reaching over to my nightstand and picking up the landline.

"Deirdre Brookes." I answered politely, twirling a small strand of hair around my finger.

"Deirdre?" came back a husky voice I was all too familiar with. I almost groaned and, as it was, I buried my face in my hand.

"Christopher?" I asked softly.

"I was calling to see how you were doing at _Arkham_." he said, sneering the name of my new work place with contempt. I scowled, knowing full well why he had called.

"I'm not going back Mullohound. Your asylum produced more risk to me than anything else in my life. Arkham is safe." I growled.

Christopher Mullohound was the Director of the state asylum that I had interned at. And, quite frankly, we hadn't gotten along even before I'd been attacked by a lunatic.

To say that he let me intern there was a lie. He had actually let me through the doors to harass me at every turn and try to flirt. No matter he was married and I was twenty years younger. we didn't get along but, ever since the incident, he's been terrified of me spreading the word that his precious asylum was unsafe.

"I keep telling you, you didn't have to leave." he said. It sounded like he was about to burst into a speech so I literally let out snarled into the phone, hearing the stunned silence.

"And I keep telling you that if you continue calling here I'll file for sexual harassment and sue you for everything you own, including that damned penitentiary." i growled, slamming my hand down on the receiver.

I threw the phone down, reaching up to rub my temples, only to find that there were tears running down my face. I hastily swept them away.

"Damn it." I growled, furiously forcing the crying to stop.

I was not about to look weak like this.

I laid down on the bed, gently resting my forehead on my hands.

* * *

_It had been a quirk with me for a long time._

_I knew when I was dreaming._

_Though right now it was painfully obvious. I was nine years old again._

_My hair hung down to my collar and was held in two, small pigtails. I couldn't see the board. The boy in front of me was too tall._

_As the bell rang, we all stood up, eager to get outside then come in and eat. I was too excited to worry about the dream right now. Enjoying myself was a better idea right now._

_Suddenly, the boy in front of me tripped and I heard some people snicker. I growled at them, looking up into the sneering face of my classmate, who had his foot outstretched._

_"Stupid scarecrow." the boy snarled, turning and laughing with everyone else as I stared with pity at the boy below me. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing me the gawky way his skin held to his long limbs._

_I wondered if he ever washed. His hair was filthy and the odd waves stuck up in awkward angles. His shirt had seen too many stains and that clip on tie he was wearing went down to the hem of his too long shirt._

_What fourth grader wore a clip on tie?_

_Everyone else continued outside and, to my surprise, the teacher smirked as she turned and left._

_I bent over and started to help gathering books and papers. And files..._

_Files?_

_I stood up, looking through them. Arkham... Lealand... Quinzel... Malone... Brookes._

_One of these was my file. My resume and medical History. Copies I had turned in to the asylum._

_How did this boy... I felt my eyes travel down, suddenly afraid._

_He was bent over, I still couldn't see his face. I noticed a bruise on his cheek as his greasy hair swung though, a handprint._

_I knelt again, laying the files gently on a desk. I put the boys face in my hands, shutting my eyes for a second as I all I heard was his heavy breathing and desperate attempts not to cry. They weren't working. His face was wet._

_"Jonathan?" I said softly, pulling his face up. For a moment, it was only a boy's. One that I recognized too well. He scowled, squeezing his eyes closed and let out a cough that sounded more like a cry._

_"Someday they'll be afraid of me Deirdre." he choked. I shut my own eyes, afraid of what would happen when they opened._

_"Thank you Doctor Brookes."_

_At the mention of the word Doctor, I opened my eyes again. Jonathan was still crying, his hair was slicked back, he looked professional in a worn suit and glasses._

_watched, numb, as he stood and took the files off the desks, continuing out of the room._

_A room I now recognized as an office from the asylum. I caught site of the children just outside the doors._

_They were doctors._

* * *

I woke up with a gasp, rapidly turning to look at my digital clock, next to the phone on my nightstand. It was two in the morning.

I sat up, swinging my legs off the bed, realizing I had fallen asleep when resting it earlier.

Bit my lip and moved towards a small closet in the back of my apartment where things I never needed to unpack sat in boxes.

In the third one I checked, there was photo albums. I grabbed one bound in leather and began flipping through until I reached class photos. There was my graduating class, my junior year, it went all the way down to first grade.

But my fourth grade one, I checked frantically.

_Jonny _I thought frantically, scanning the names at the bottom of the page. _The boy everyone called Scarecrow because he was so thin and worn out._

Third row, fourth picture. There he was. I pinched the bridge of my nose, holding back tears.

He showed up in the same place in our class all the way up to graduation. sixth grade, there was a bruise on his face. unlike the one in my dream, it wasn't obviously a hand print.

I remembered various excuses, thinking back now.

_I ran into a door... I fell down the stairs... I got lost in the woods... I tripped over my own feet... I didn't notice a car backing up and it hit me in the side._

"Oh Jonathan." I murmured, shutting the album and holding my arms around my torso for warmth. I realized the only reason I could see was because I left the lights on and stood, ready to turn them out with a feeling of sadness in my stomach.

He had certainly made everyone fear him. I couldn't help but wonder if that was my fault.

_If he just had one friend._

* * *

"Why aren't we going to see her again tonight?" I demanded.

_Slow down eager beaver. We gotta pace this right. Besides, we drove last night instead of walking like I wanted so I call the shots tonight._

I grumbled, pulling on my fleece pajama pants and pulling off my old shirt. I let it fall to the floor.

In my experience, I could wear it for two days without it starting to need washing. I sighed. Deirdre had been looking at the clothes today.

_Why not get some new ones wise guy. _The monster drawled sarcastically. I sighed. I noticed the word get was used instead of 'buy' and pointed that out, climbing on to the stiff mattress I used as a bed, shutting my eyes.

_We'll go tomorrow._ he said. I almost groaned. Didn't he ever shut up?

I wanted to sleep but, I was troubled. I didn't like the pity I'd seen in her face today. It was too reminiscent of something I'd seen before.

But, I was too weary to bother with it right now as I drifted into a harsh sleep.

My dream took over Jonathan's mind and, when I woke at six o'clock, I wa sin control. At least, until we got to the asylum.


	13. Just how Oddly the Moon Shines

A/N: Well, seeing as i gotta have a little bit of Harley in here to make things work, I decided to experiment. Once again, there's a bit from Harley's point of view in here. Let's see what all the doctors at Arkham are noticing. Harley'll fill you in on things you've missed. I do not own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_"Just how oddly the moon shines."_

It had been a few days, almost a week, since Deer had threatened to turn me in.

If only she knew the half of what I was really doing. It did occur to me that I had sold my best friend out to our boss. I realized that, if I wanted I could probably blackmail Jonathan with the information he would doubtless use against her.

But it wasn't right. That wasn't like me.

So, instead, I watched them. I wasn't sure what had happened since the day I'd dropped down and begged her to let me keep my job but, I knew there was something different.

she had been spending as much time around Jonathan Crane as usual. Nothing changed there. But the way she looked at him, it was different.

There was pity on her face. There were tears shining behind her eyes when she talked about him.

It was passive and, had I not been trying to watch, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Jonathan had changed too. He wasn't warm. He wasn't pleasant or overly sweet towards here. He was wary of her, as if he had realized exactly what kind of person Deirdre was. That fight in her that made such good company to me over the past few years. We were friends for a reason.

I was never certain why she liked me but, I had always liked her.

She was like a fox. Sneaky, small in stature, but not afraid. Ready to fight and protect, stubborn and proud. There was no one else like her.

I watched them now, eating my lunch, and realized I wasn't the only one who felt the tension between them.

Doctor Flynn, who had been getting closer to Deirdre, was sitting with them but, was obviously uncomfortable.

Joan had asked me a few days ago if they were seeing each other. Being the friend I was, I told her that Deirdre was only just starting to tolerate being around him.

Their relationship was turbulent and I wasn't sure where it would end up.

And speaking of confusing relationships with doctors, it was time for my session with the Joker.

* * *

_She knows... something._ Crane thought, nervous.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, waving as she walked out to her next session with Zsasz. What could she possibly know?

_Scarecrow, I didn't care what the fuck you think. I know what I'm talking about. She's got that look on her face._

"So we'll kick things up a notch." I murmured. We were in his office, it was fine for me to talk to myself.

Or, rather, talk to Jonny.

_She's figured something out. How are we going to move up? We're already in above our heads and drowning. What could we possibly do?_

"You worry too much. We're just going to treat her to dinner."

_At our apartment?_

"Jesus Christ Jonny," I complained. "You sound like a screaming eight year old girl. In fact, that's what you and Deirdre should name your daughter if you ever have one. Jonny."

_We're not doing this! _he continued.

He gave me a headache with all his whining and complaining. I was getting ready to leave anyways, why not just shut up.

Finally, he was quiet. It just proved that I was a lot better at control than anyone else in this body.

Making my way down the stairs, I removed Jonny's rather annoying glasses and shoved them into my shirt pocket. I was glad for the quiet stillness of Arkham. Only the night guards remained.

Checking the watch on my wrist, I was a little surprised that it was past two in the morning. I found myself wondering about my erratic sleeping patterns. Jonny thought about how he could fall asleep himself and wake up as me. but it was because I rarely slept, even when he was out. I was always working and, as a manifestation of fear itself, I wondered if i even really needed sleep.

All thoughts wandering down this path were cut short, however, when I began to make my way own the last floor of stairs.

At the bottom step, there was a young woman sitting, writing something in a notebook. I didn't hate to see her face to know who it was.

That erratic, platinum blonde hair could only belong to one person.

She was mumbling again and, I paused, my curiosity getting the better of me as I watched her.

I couldn't hear what she was saying but, I enjoyed watching. She was twitching a little, as if annoyed. It occurred to me that she might be nervous when she pushed her hair back, as she often did. Louder now, I began walking down the stairs again.

She turned and stood, pushing what appeared to be reading glasses up on her face.

"Director Crane." she greeted politely, smiling a little. I think Jonny boy had me overanalyzing but there seemed to be a look of pit yin her eyes.

No, no it was just Jonathan.

I smiled back at her, toeing the line between friendly and flirtatious as I came to a stop beside her.

"Checking out Doctor?"

"Mhmm." she nodded, her professional composure reappearing.

I didn't mind, so long as I knew I could break it for a while.

"So am I. We can walk together. Besides, this part of the Narrows is dangerous this later. Wouldn't want you getting into trouble." I said, being sure none of the mocking I felt was leaking into my voice.

She nodded and walked, silently a footstep behind me. Deirdre was a leader so, I assumed this move was out of respect.

Making it to the punch card machine, we clocked out and headed outside. I paused just a short second after she did, looking up towards the sky. She seemed to be watching the moon with interest.

"Have you ever notice," she paused, looking a little like she was going to stop before continuing. "Just how oddly the moon shines."

I quirked a brow, amused. She laughed quietly, flushing and then looking back up. I must admit, I liked the effect the night had on her.

Every flash of colour on her illuminated, pale skin was bright. Her platinum blonde hair seemed to glisten, even up in a bun with random flyaway sticking out.

A fool would say she wasn't beautiful and, unlike Jonny-

_Hey. _he growled, no longer holding his tongue.

-I wouldn't deny any attraction towards her. For one of two reasons. One being it was strong and more intense than I'd felt in a while and two was out of the fact that it would be far too much fun to watch her reaction if I told her about those little dreams Jonny kept having.

_What? You wouldn't!_

I wanted to laugh at the panic but, instead, I stared at her, just coolly observing her.

She seemed nervous under my gaze and misinterpreted it as me being incredulous.

"I-I mean that it's different. At home it seems beautiful and when you're out in the city, walking around it seems haunting and mysterious or exciting. But... here..." she trailed off. I could read that look too well. I felt myself moving before i granted prior consent to my body. Tilting her chin up, though happily not very far as she was almost as tall as me, I looked at her, smiling.

"It's frightening?" I suggested. Please, oh please god say yes.

"Well, Arkham itself is scary. Everything about it, whether you're nervous around other doctors or inmates or it's just too quiet." she said, shrugging. I chuckled a little, pulling back.

"If you think Arkham's scary as a doctor, you should try being a patient some time." I said darkly. She looked uncomfortable and Jonathan groaned.

_I hope you have a plan for where this conversation is heading._

_When do I not having a plan?_

_Point taken._

"Ah... I'm..." she stuttered, grasping for words.

"Shh." I murmured, causing her to look up. I could be charming when I wanted to be and IO could feel Jonny's shock with the gentle way I pushed a strand of hair away from her grey-green eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that. I was purely trying to-" I cut her off, placing a finger over her lip.

"It's fine. I wish people would stop pretending it didn't happen. It's not as if I remain completely oblivious to the fact that I'm only out here for good behaviour and the fear I, as director, set amongst the inmates. I actually don't mind talking about it." I said, faking a small twitch of my y lips into a frown.

_Very good acting monster. You almost sounded like me_

_It's not very hard to sound like an arrogant prick. I just raise my voice a little and act condescending._

"I'm terribly sorry Director." she said, smiling a little sadly. "So... if you don't mind... what exactly happened to cause your condition?"

I saw knowledge in her but, despite the frantic protests of Jonathan's, which I squashed because his words were blurring together and I couldn't understand him anyways, decided to answer honestly.

"I was brutally abused and teased as a child. never got better, escalated, and the trauma grew to be too much. It developed to the point that my personality split and, under the stress of working in an asylum desperately needing funds I turned towards crime, which ultimately lead to my downward spiral." I shrugged as if it were nothing to me.

It truly wasn't. Jonathan was the one who went through hell and I was the one let out of that dark, tightly packed space in the back of his head.

_Of course, as always, you got very lucky and then turned my life into an upside down horror._

"Ah. Well, children are cruel. as are adults.' she said, seeming almost sympathetic. Obviously trying to get off the subject, she gestured to the parking lot. "Walk me to my car?"

In silence, we made our way over to her are, at least an entire row away from mine. We were the only two doctors remaining (though I hardly counted as a doctor) and I saw a bit of a chance forming in my head.

"So, are you busy tomorrow?" I asked, completely casual, professional, and so completely Jonathan.

"Yes. Any particular reason why you ask?" she said, slowly, hesitant. She began looking through a purse I just noticed was on her arm, presumably for car keys.

"I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner at seven I do know where to pick you up." I said, careful not to make it too late. I didn't want to sound like I was planning on trying anything to upset her.

"I might be. Seven, you said?" she asked, carefully, though a bit obviously, slowing her search.

"Yes." I answered, trying my hardest not to turn and et my eyes bore holes into her.

"I'd have to say I'm free." she said, her voice quivering a little as she looked up, smiling. I caught her eye and smiled back, hoping she didn't notice the difference between my smile and the Jonathan one I was impersonating a few moments ago.

Miraculously, as our conversation ended, she found her keys and unlocked the door. Always the gentleman, I opened it and helped her in, holding it ajar.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow then. Drive carefully. i cautioned, trying to get more of that controlling nature Jonathan seemed to have back into my voice.

"Yes dad." she responded dryly.

It sparked something in me, I'm not sure what, but that spark lit a fire. I quickly moved forward, letting go of the door and, instead, imbedding my hand in her hair. She seemed initially shocked but, I roughly pried her mouth open, kissing her.

Jonathan was getting as lost as I was, my other hand coming to her waist, when she leaned forward and caused the roof of the car to lightly brush my head, pulling me back.

"I'm not your dad." I said, a little breathless, feeling she had loosened the tie around my neck and shutting the door before she could say anthing else.

Jonny was too wound up to complain and, I found myself humming a little on the return trip to our car.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fuddled up enough to let me drive.


	14. If a Man Dies Alone no One will hear Him

A/N: so, I got a positive smile from the last chapter and an interesting. Not much but I will take it! thanks for the reviews, ya'll know who you are. No, because I really don't want to ramble, I'm gonna cut this short. Jonathan really isn't that much of the whiny bitch Scarecrow makes him out to be. He's just pissed that he's not the one talking to Deirdre and he's not the one in control. I do not own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_"If the Man dies Alone, no one will Hear Him Scream."_

_If a man dies alone no one will hear him scream. _he thought desperately, his rage boiling.

"Scarecrow, we can't murder Director Mullohound. We could be too easily caught if you enjoy yourself too much and you would enjoy yourself too much." I scowled, staring in through the window.

_Come on. We don't have to kill him. We could drug him or clock him over the head from behind so he doesn't see us. Then I'll cut his lips off so he can't talk to her again._

"One would wonder why you're so upset Scarecrow? Getting attached?" I sneered.

_You're just jealous because you liked her first but she fell for me._

"You're just jealous and avoiding my easy question." I commented.

_Fine. _he growled. This was a development. He didn't often agree with me. _It was my idea to spy on her because I suspected something like this. She's been looking stressed. Now we know why. And you won't be able to stop me if I decide to hurt him Jonny._

_And why not? _I thought, sick of speaking to myself. As it was, I was already perched outside in a tree, with a very expensive device in my ear so I could hear her through the wall, muttering foul language under her breath as she stroked her very interesting cat.

_Because, Jonny. I don't know if you've noticed but I don't like people messing with my things. And the girl is my newest obsession as of late. You got boring after the stint in Arkham._

_Not my fault you ruined our lives._

I could almost feel his eyes rolling. Deirdre was laying back in her bed, gently murmuring now. Just saying nothing, only seeming to coo at her cat.

_Jonny, before she sees us, we need to go and prepare for tomorrow night. I'm pretty certain she'll realize we followed her home if she looks outside in the morning and you're crashed in this tree, your car in the parking lot._

I hated to agree with him but, he was right. I dismounted, once again glad of my luck that it was right by the window.

* * *

I woke up in the morning realizing something.

I hadn't been on a date since I was a Junior in high school.

I grabbed my landline, without thinking and yelled, "Harley!"

After a few minutes of silence, I recovered my wits and actually dialed her number. She answered right away.

"Harley Quinzel." she sounded worn out.

"Harley you've gotta help me!" I yelled. The resounding thud in the background made me realize that she'd fallen off the bed. "Harley?" I asked again, a little more hesitant.

"I'm fine!" she called. Since I could hear my own voice, I deduced I was on speaker phone. "But we're gonna be late if you don't get your ass over here."

Oh shit, was it already seven forty?

Quickly, I got dressed but, I kept her on the phone as she, likewise, did for me.

I was headed downstairs when she picked her phone back up.

"You coming to get me?" she asked, the sound of her lips pursing together in the background letting me know that she had probably just lit a cigarette.

"Yep. Be there in a few." I said, waving half-heartedly at the desk attendant who lifted her head in response.

I rushed out to the car, opening it, before climbing in and starting the car, beginning to back out before I'd even shut the door.

I could be a very reckless driver when I was in a hurry and I had the car to drive fast in.

Gotham had a lot more trouble than a few people speeding.

Needless to say, when I drove up to Harley's place, she raised an eyebrow when the tires screeched while I halted.

Quickly jumping in, she shut the door before I took off and glanced at me, sighing and pulling off her shirt. I was almost alarmed before seeing she had another layer beneath. The extra deep purple must have been for warmth.

Harley was dressed up in a nice little outfit, I thought, quirking my own eyebrow.

She was wearing black dress pants, a mint green thin sweater, not to mention she was wearing more make-up. Black eye shadow and mascara along with her usual bright red lips. Not to mention, I noticed while I tried to drive, she had teased her hair up into a 'I know it took a lot of work but it looks like I didn't really try' kind of bun. It was as if she was copying my usual, careless up do with more success and more hairspray.

"Trying to impress someone Harley?" I asked, sighing and pulling over. She looked at me, confused, as I slipped into her sweater.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she denied. I narrowed my eye and reached out, deliberately pulling my hand down the side of her face.

Cover-up came on to my hand. Underneath it was bruise. I growled and she shamelessly reached into her purse, pulling out more cover up.

I returned to the sweater, fixing it so that I looked professional, carefully pulling down one edge of the neck and grabbing a small pin I kept on my dash to place it there. It looked like I had just put on a brooch.

"Harley, I'm not going to rat you out but, I think you're getting obsessed."I murmured, looking at her furiously contorted face. She was angry at me. I reached over and touched her shoulder. "And this isn't because I don't trust you Harles. It's because you're my friend. I need you to trust me too."

She sighed and bit her lip.

"I don't know. He's so much more interesting than other guys, you know? and I understand that the doctors at the asylum say quid pro quo is a bad idea but, it's the only thing that'll work with him. I guess I just want him to like me so I can get closer to his head." she shrugged.

"Maybe I can help you take you mind off things. I have a date tonight... with Jonathan."

After a scream and much incoherent babble, she started gushing about helping me get ready for the night and I hid my smirk.

Mission Impossible was a success. I'd gotten Harley to give in to me.

* * *

Work dragged by. Jonathan avoided me all day though, we ran into each other once in the hall and, after a few seconds of silence from me and a smug smirk from him, we passed each other. I tried not to think about the night before.

I did, however, talk to Zsasz. The highlight of my day.

Upon walking in, I noticed he was in a good mood. A good thing. Maybe I could get him to talk.

"Hello Victor." I said, as kind as I always was. Though he knew of my biting sarcasm, he smirked back at me.

"How've you been doing? Are you enjoying any of your groups?" his lips twitched down a little and made a note to myself, starting with an 'x' so I would know to cancel it. "Trouble?"

"I don't much care for the man in charge of the group where you go and... uh, talk. About problems." he said, frowning. I nodded, actually a little sympathetic.

These people didn't want to believe that there was anything wrong with them. Those groups were for people who knew they had something fixable in them. So far as everyone the fourth floor and up was concerned: there was nothing wrong, there was nothing fixable, or there was nothing to think about except those voices and the terrifying thing in the middle of the room that no one else can see.

"I can cancel that. Would you rather have free time to spend in your cell or, if I can convince the superiors that you've been relatively good, I could try to get you outside." I commented, scribbling a reminder at the bottom of the page.

He thought for a second then shook his head. "I'd rather just be in the cell." he said, shrugging. I nodded.

"So, I'd like to discuss your work for the mob. Why'd they hire you?" I asked, looking up. His smile darkened a little. This was a topic previously unpursued. I'd realized that, if I wanted to get anywhere with him, delving into childhood and past was a bad idea.

"They thought I was the guy to get jobs done. One of their scouts found me on the job. I'd just finished gutting this girl and I tied this jacket around her to, you know, hide the blood," he looked up, probably checking my composure. I'd trained myself to keep a straight or understanding face. "So I propped her up against a lamppost, like she was hanging on it or something. And this guy comes up, knowing all this stuff about me, and I just decide to see if it's for real. Then I was a hitman."

"Ah, so you were working before that." I said, using the word loosely. It wasn't what I considered work but, in all reality, it _was_ his job. "When did the tallying start?"

"Before the mob. I wanted to remember every person I'd killed but, didn't want to keep track of faces." he said, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world to kill people then prop them up in every day position, cutting himself to keep mark of them.

"So, Victor, did you ever think it was wrong. When you were young was this what out knew you wanted to do or did it just start with one and escalate?" I questioned. His eyes flashed and I noticed him shutting down. He knew I'd pushed past his layers to get straight to his center and now he was closing me out.

"I always enjoyed things like it but, nothing ever compared to the first kill." he said, rather unspecific. I nodded, pretending I hadn't noticed anything, then stood to leave.

"I think that's enough for today then. You can go to lunch now and I'll get you taken out of that class." I said. He nodded then cleared his throat, catching my attention before I walked out. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled wryly to see his cuffed hands raised in the air, making a strangling motion.

I was kind of glad for his company. He was interesting and, he amused me.

But, after that, the rest of the day had been pitifully boring. And I'd thought Asylum life would be different.

It was when I got home, Harley in tow, that things really got interesting.

No sooner did I walk in did Harley drag me back to my room and start to go through my closet, a scowl on her face.

"Is this really all you have to wear? You need help Deirdre!" she said, flailing her arms in a dramatic fashion.

"Why do you think you're here? I only have about one more hour than he'll be here to pick me up."

Harley's eyes widened. I didn't think much about what was happening as she stripped me down and threw clothes at me. I just numbly put on the dress, tights, and shoes. I sat still as she put on my make-up and carefully reapplied my mascara while she was searching for a suitable perfume for me to wear.

It wasn't my fault I didn't have very many out and about clothes. I wasn't that kind of person. I was more territorial. I had my own little area that I stuck to and I didn't like people invading it but, anyone I let come in was welcome there. That was the only reason I was tolerating Harley's many grumblings about my closet being the size of a closet and not a baseball field.

"Which of these do you like better? The Sweet Daydreams or the True Passion, I can't decide." she said, exasperated as she held up two bottles for me to see. I rolled my eyes and took the one that was dark purple which turned out to be whatever passion.

Putting it on, Harley, unfortunately for me, found my brush and began to wrench it every which way through my hair until knots were gone. I didn't normally enjoy brushing my hair because I always had it up the same. Sure I did it after I showered but this was different.

"Harley... is this... really... necessary?" I asked in between gasps as she picked her fingers through my hair and styled it to her liking.

"Yes. I've been waiting for weeks to rub how much you like Jonathan in your face and now, I'm doing it by making your face gorgeous." she hummed. Then, as a hair pin snapped into place she blew a kiss to an imaginary audience. "Voila! Voulez-vous coucher avec moi Deirdre!"

"You realize that that is french for 'will you sleep with me Deirdre?'" I asked, almost laughed at the blank expression in her eyes.

"I just heard it in a song."

I laughed and made my way to the bathroom to inspect her work. Wide eyed, I stared at myself.

Harley was a genius.

My cheeks looked flush, my hair was bright against my skin, held up in clips and hairpins in an intricate bun. She had gone easy on my lips but, outlined my eyes in the same mother of pearl colour as my sheathe of a dress.

"Harley, you're a genius." I said, blinking, just to make sure what I was seeing was real. She swung around, her own hair having been let out of the tight bun she always kept it in. I smiled and hugged her.

"What would I do without you?" I asked.

"You'd go out with Jonathan dressed in your work clothes. Oh" she exclaimed suddenly, feeling her pager go off. I read the message and quirked a brow.

911?

"It's the asylum. Something's probably wrong with the Joker. I'll head off." she said., glancing at her watch again. I turned to check the alarm clock on my nightstand. Jeez, she had five minutes to be out of here.

"Okay. Thanks Harley, have a good night." I said. She smiled at me, then, was on her way.

I walked out to the den, nervously toying with my hair, waiting for Jonathan to arrive.

* * *

_We're gonna be late. _Scarecrow groaned. I rolled my eyes.

"You've heard of fashionably late. Besides, tonight is my night." I said, carefully pulling into the parking lot. Besides, we weren't more than three minutes late. As much as I liked to be prompt, something told me Deirdre wouldn't mind.

_Jesus Christ Jonathan. All this work and you're gonna fuck it up. _he said. I could almost see him slamming his head into the dash and got the urge to do so myself.

Walking up the stairs felt vaguely familiar by now and, as I knocked on the door, the clack of heels echoing gave me a sense of Déjà Vu.

The door opened and I smiled a little.

"You look wonderful." I commented, seeing her smile in pleasure.

"Thank you. Um, would you like to come or do you want to just get out on the road before traffic picks up?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

Sensible as always, I laughed a little, pushing my glasses up on my face.

"We can leave now." I said, taking her hand.

we were silent on the walk down to the parking lot and I helped her into the car, thanks to the Scarecrow who reminded me to be civil. She nodded in thanks and crossed her legs patiently.

Climbing into the driver seat, I pulled out and headed down the road.

"I was thinking we could head to that restaurant, Bella Notte? You like Italian food?" I asked. She nodded, seeming a little nervous.

We didn't reach the restaurant however. Both of our phones rang at the same time. While I answered mine, she did hers. Yelling erupted from both ends.

"Slow down Lealand, what's going on?" I asked.

"Harley you're shouting. I can't understand you." Deirdre said, plugging one ear and turning towards the window.

A moment of silence then I slammed on the brakes and Deirdre nearly shot out of her seat.

"WHO ESCAPED?" I shouted.

"HE ESCAPED!" he screamed at the same time.

I turned the car around, much to the annoyance of some angry motorists, and headed in the opposite direction.

"Where are we headed?" Deirdre asked grimly. I could tell she didn't need an answe but, told her anyways.

"Arkham."


	15. Hit me Like a South Bound Train

A/N: Whoo I got more reviews! *happy dances* each one of you who reviewed the last chapter gets a brownie point and a hug *hugs*. There's a little bit of tension here. For those of you who've thought so, Harley hasn't snapped _just_ yet. She's pretty close though. I do not own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_"Hit me like a southbound train."_

_~World Ain't Slowing Down, **Paul Ellis**_

Getting to the asylum was easy enough. I rubbed off my make-up in the car and reached down, inwardly asking Harley to forgive me, and grabbed my purse, retrieving from it a small jacket Harley had crammed in for me in case it got cold. Shouldering it on, I buttoned it up to my chin, making it appear as though I was wearing a skirt and shirt.

Jeez I hoped no one would notice we were together.

Pulling into the parking lot, I realized that there were no guards at the gate as usual.

Shit this is bad.

There were cops swarming everywhere and, if my eyes hadn't deceived me, Jonathan's fingers gripped the wheel harder when he saw them.

Without thinking, I reached out. Sympathetic, I rested my hand on his before he jerked it away, parking and storming out. I sighed and got out too, retrieving my key card from my purse.

Walking in, I swiped my keycard and walked straight into chaos. But it wasn't what I was expecting. Search parties weren't swarming. They were frozen, staring at one central point.

It didn't take long for me to hear the shrieking.

"NO! YOU HAVE TO LET ME FIND HIM HE'S MY PATIENT DAMMIT!" came a shrill voice.

I couldn't believe it for half a second.

That woman I saw struggling with law enforcement and doctors was not Harleen Quinzel.

Her glasses were on the ground, smashed under her foot. Her lab coat was in the corner, as if she had discarded it to fight. Her usual perkiness was gone. I couldn't believe it but she was actually drooling a little.

Her green sweater had a sleeve rolled up and was haphazardly shoved around. I mean, it literally looked like someone had taken the fabric covering her torso and twisted it.

She was wildly trying to break away, trying to pull out some of our recent martial arts moves. She was failing as the contained her. Some of them looked bewildered, others grim, others frightened. Lealand was shaking her head, her jaw slightly agape, making no attempt to rein her in. Jonathan had stopped a foot ahead of me. I shoved him out of the way and ran forward.

"HARLEY!" I shouted, reaching out and grabbing her arms as she tore them free of another doctor.

Her eyes met mine and, for half a second, I was terrified.

Those weren't her eyes either. These eyes were sharper than daggers, boiling with intensity, and she snarled. For a second, I had no doubt she would lunge forward and tear out my throat if it meant she could search for the Joker.

"Harley it's me. Calm down. You can't do this here." I said, pain in my voice.

I should have pulled her when I had the chance, should have gotten her off the case. But I hadn't because she was my friend.

I was grateful the make-up hiding her bruise was intact.

It took her a few minutes but, she calmed down. I continued holding my arms around her shoulders, buried my face in her hair. Then, when she was calm, I started dragging her now weeping body back to my office.

"This is m-my fault." she blubbered. "If I h-had b-been here..."

She trailed off unintelligibly. I could see the worry in all the doctors faces.

"Harley's just guilt ridden. She's just a little... more expressive." I excused vaguely. Haley came willingly up the stairs and collapsed into the chair I pulled her to.

She buried her mascara stained face in her hands.

I couldn't bring myself to comfort her.

"Harley... you can't go back to treating him." I said. She looked up, her face terrified. She was going to protest.. "I don't want to hear it. You've gone over the edge Harley. You're bruised and broken down. He got to you in those sessions and I want to see them."

She looked ashamed then, drug herself up to my computer, still choking on air, and logged in with her username and pass code.

She had every video session saved on her desktop.

The first two didn't interest me.

The third one she was starting to crumble. She sounded too sympathetic, too caught up in his stories of a traumatic home life.

Then I got to the fifth session.

* * *

**Session 5**

_I walked into the session, ready to face J. That was what he'd told me to call him, seeing as I was blatantly refusing to call him 'Joker.'_

_He had a terrible past. I could hardly believe all of this was real. But he seemed so sure of himself, so emotionally engaged._

_As I sat down, I noticed a new look in his eye._

_"Good morning J. How have you been?" I asked, taking out my clipboard, smiling at him._

_"I had a dream last night." he said, without pretense. He licked his lips and looked down. They had only just stopped making a guard accompany us to meetings. I wondered if he was debating whether or not to take advantage of that._

_I scribbled dream at the top of the paper and got ready to write, putting the tip of my pencil to the pad._

_"What about?" I asked, carelessly professional._

_"You."_

_The pencil broke and I stared down at a useless writing tool before looking up, my eyes wide. He wiggled his eyebrows at me, dark eyes alight with amusement._

_"Wh-what about me?" I asked, placing my notes upside down, to the side._

_Something told me I wouldn't have to write this down to remember it._

_"You were-" he paused, fidgeting as if he wanted to sue his hands. "-in a prison cell. Really, a dungeon. Rags _barely _covering you."_

_At the word 'barely' I saw him lick his lips. It wasn't lechery, he'd done that many times. But I was still disgusted. Terrified of where this was headed._

_"You're crying. Someone has just beaten you. Guess that'd explain the clothes. IT's all dark and you head perks up. I walk in and tear you free of your chains and ropes." he said._

_I thought he was finished and leaned forward I tried to hide how disturbing this was for me. "Do you think this is a sign o-"_

_He swooped forward so fast that I thought he was going to head-butt me._

_No._

_No, I'm certain that was somewhere else in his enormous mind. But I jerked back in shock. Evidently not far enough. Those handcuffs weren't chained to the chair. I was trapped between chains around the back of my neck and the table as his lips crashed over mine._

_I gasped, a move that I'd miscalculated. He took advantage of it and forced the kiss deeper than the almost chaste feeling it would have had had he not been a mass murdering terrorist._

_I was stuck. And, before I knew what was happening, it was over and the chains pulled me forward, almost across the table._

_"Oh Harley, you didn't fight me." he crooned. I flinched and tried to pull away._

_"That is h-highly inappropriate be-" he cut me off, kissing me again. Damn it, no!_

_The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Half in revolt but, some other feeling was twisting inside me as he released me and shoved me back into the chair._

_I sat there, trying to regain control of the jumble mess of emotions inside of me._

_"It's been a long time, hasn't it Harley." he drawled, clicking his tongue. It wasn't a question. Oh god, this wasn't happening to me._

_Anger. Attraction. Guilt. Desire._

_"A long time since anyone has touched you." he concluded. I tried not to think about it but, the images came anyways._

_Seducing my professor._

_Sleeping with him._

_Blackmailing him into passing me._

_Deirdre's pain when she'd found out._

_The shame I felt from it._

_"Little Harley Quinn, you're too beautiful to walk around unclaimed by any man. That feistiness in you is attractive. Makes me want to touch you and hurt you all at once."_

_I wanted to beg him to stop._

_"Maybe one day I'll indulge in those two. Maybe at the same time. Parhaps quickly so that you'll feel little pain. Maybe slowly so that you'll remember exactly how it feels for a long time. I must warn you Harley, I'm not always careful with my toys. I _enjoy_ breaking them.__"_

_New images, wrong images. All of it was wrong._

_Images of him throwing me over the desk, depriving me of all dignity I had left, tearing my hair out of its tight pins, that glisten of excitement in his eyes. Thoughts of him grappling with me until I surrendered everything. No. i felt like a child without it's mother, talking to a stranger. I wanted Deirdre here to help me. She was always stronger with patients._

_No, I couldn't face this._

_I stood rolling my shoulders and taking the notepad._

_"This session is over." I said shakily. I turned to walk out, completely ready to tell Deirdre everything._

_"You'll be back." he called out._

_And now, I could tell her nothing. Because if I ever wanted to continue working with the patient, I would need to keep quiet._

* * *

**Session 6**

_"I must admit Harley, I wasn't expecting to see you back so soon." he said, leaning back in his chair._

_"I'm Doctor Quinzel, not Harley." I said, sitting in the chair opposite him and checking to see if the camera was working. "I want you to tell me about Batman."_

_I'd said the magic words. New day, clean slate, new discussion. He drymmed his handcuffed fingers on the desk. I remembered what it felt like to have them near my neck, my heart beating so wildly that his unnaturally hot skin was almost cool in comparison to my blood rush._

_No Harley. Bad thoughts._

_"Ah, my... crime-fighting counterpart."_

_"Interesting choice of words." I said, scribbling down a few notes on his composure and change of mood when the Dark Knight was mentioned. He laughed though, whether at me or some inner thought, I couldn't tell._

_"What do you want to know?" he asked, raising a brow. So the games were beginning._

_"You had him pinned to the ground, stuck in a corner. You could have forced him to reveal his identity to the entire world but, you didn't. Why?" I asked, blinking, trying to ignore the way he smirked at me. It was as if he knew his presence was making me uncomfortable._

_"Because why would I destroy a beautiful, unending game like that? I can't kill him because he's too much fun and he won't kil me because that will, by his standards, bring him down to my level. But he is already at my level. He sees human nature for what it is. The only differnce is, he chooses to fight it. I embody it." he explained, his tone hushed as if he were letting me in on a big secret. I must have been suicidal for contradicting him._

_"I don't think so. You need him because you think he understands you. And as long as there is one more person in the world who sees like you do, you fell better about yourself." I concluded._

_Instantly he was rigid again._

_"You ask about me lal the time. I want to know about you. Why are you back here Harley?' he asked, his voice rising in pitch as he stood up and leaned over the table._

_I could have screamed right then and warned the guard outside. I could have left and stopped working on the case._

_But, I remained seated, staring at him with huge eyes as he towered over me. He reached down and took my fingers, pulling me with him as he sat back down. it probably looked like we were just holding hands over the table but, I was still frightened of what the guards would think._

_"I'm here because I'm your docotor." I said._

_"I don't think so Harley. I think you're here because you liked being here. But you left when I kissed you so maybe." he paused and I gasped as I felt him jerk my fingers back. "Maybe you're here because you like it when I hurt you."_

_My hand screamed out and I gasped in pain,"Stop!"_

_To my surprise, he did. Though he didn't let go of my hand. He was just bizarrely stroking it._

_"No, you didn't enjoy that. So Harley, why. Are. You. Here?" he demanded. I flinched and looked away._

_"Session dismissed."_

_Jerking away, I half expected him to come after me but, he didn't. I just walked out and felt the guard stare after me suspisciously._

_I couldn't walk fast enough to get away from his laughter._

* * *

I wanted to throw up as Harley hung her head. She looked so ashamed of herself it was almost childish. But... if this was just two of the beginning sessions.

"Harleen." I said, squatting down before her. She continued looking down so, I went lower, finally able to look her in the eye.

She was crying. Quietly. Without shame, without pain, without anger. It seemed that she was crying just to cry. She was crying to let herself know she could still cry.

"Halreen, how many session have you had with him?" I whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Thirty-two."

So this had been going on, virtually, since he had walked through the door. He'd broken her. This wasn't my friend. Btu a sparkle of the old Harley showed as she looked up, determination in her face.

"I had to find him. He's out there, on the run, alone and frightened." she said, looking almost scared herself.

"You're not going out there." I said firmly. Her malevolent smirk was almost painful to see. It wasn't hers. It was another echo of him.

"Oh but I think I am." she said. I took her hands, limp in mine, and noticed a bit of swelling around her wrist. She winced, but just barely.

Had he broken her _wrist_?

"Harley, this isn't you. you have to listen to me Harley. One month. If he isn't back in a month I'll help you look for him."

I could hardly believe it but, she moved like a panther, pouncing and pinning me to the wall just behind us, her eyes feral, her teeth bared.

"You don't get it Deer. Anything could happen out there. He could get killed!" she sneered. I blinked, feeling the arm she was using to pin my body com up to my neck, hoisting me off the ground.

I could have fought her but, I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. It would have made me no better than him.

"I do get it. And I'm promising you. If he isn't back in a month, we'll go looking."

"No! You do not understand!" she screamed, letting me drop. Her arms were in the air, twisting wildly as she paced, eventually bringing an accusing finger down, pointing it at me.

"You! You think everything in this world is fixable! You think that this will all be fine in the long run! It won't! THINK! you really think he's coming back here in one piece! I'll be surprised if the Batman hasn't killed him!" she shouted. I was very glad for the thickness of walls and doors in Arkham. I was certain, unless someone was pressed up against the wooden entryway, no one would hear us.

* * *

_She keeps screaming about the Joker. _the Scarecrow thought. I nodded.

Maybe it had been a mistake to put her on this case.

Should anyone come along, this was a fairly compromising position. I was pressed up against the door of Deirdre's office, listening to a conversation meant for private ears.

After a few moments of silence, in which their words were probably quiet, i decided to knock on the door. A few seconds of scuffling later and the door opened.

"Doctor Brookes, I need to speak with Doctor Quinzel." I said, completely professional now. It was as if nothing had ever happened, she wasn't hiding a dress beneath her extra jacket, and the Joker hadn't just escaped.

She stood to the side. Her eyes held warning as she did so. I could hear her now.

_Don't push her._

_Jonathan, you can't do anything. We have no proof as to what he's been doing._

_But we know he's been hurting her._

_And I suggest, if you want to keep Brookes, you do nothing._

"Doctor Quinzel." I said, seeing her look up from where she sat in a chair. Her make-up was ruined but, she looked fine otherwise. I wondered what Brookes had said to calm her down.

"Yes Director?" he voice was deceptively calm. If I wasn't so attuned to Scarecrow's various lying methods, I would almost assume she was fine.

"I'm afraid your outburst downstairs cannot be tolerated. I'm going to have to suspend you for a week." I sighed, removing my glasses and putting them in my pocket. I must admit, Quinzel looked different like this. Without restraint, without her professional appeal, without glasses or care or her stupid little bun.

"Really? Well, I'm sorry to hear that." she said, her voice cold as she retrieved a swipe card from her pocket and tossed it across the desk.

"I have but one question." I said, leaning forward. Deirdre tensed beside me. The Scarecrow was suddenly fighting though, I couldn't see why.

"Why the fear? Are you afraid he's coming back or are you afraid that you won't have the case anymore?" I asked. I was honestly curious.

"Harley." I heard Deirdre caution as the woman stood.

"I'll answer that question, when you tell everyone what you're really doing at night." she scowled. Standing, she started to leave. I reached out to grab her, demand to know what she meant.

But Deidre grabbed my hand and I tossed her off.

I turned, surprised as she hit the floor. She looked up from the ground, wiping the corner of her mouth to see blood come off. Then, she glared and scrambled to her feet, following Harley out.

After a few seconds, I realized that I had probably just slapped her.

_Congrats, we've lost her because you lost your temper._

_I'll go check on her._


	16. Loosen my Lips, Faith and Desire

A/N: Okay *hides face embarrassed* though I am embarrassed, I feel no true shame in telling you that this is the first chapter I wrote and it was, in fact, the basis of the whole story line. What happened before and after this were just smaller details until i could complete the whole picture.. The idea just popped into my head and, there it was for me to write. Chapter fifteen, I'd told myself. She would have to find out soon to make the story interesting. And, of course, they weren't going to be able to resist each other forever. Anyways, here you go. Oh yes, I do not own Batman.

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

_"Loosen my lips, faith and desire"_

_~Come on Get Higher, __**Matt Nathanson**_

Jonathan Crane could burn alive, in a hole, filled with snakes, sitting on poisonous arrows, with a bird pecking his eyes out.

Damn him, doing that to me then just staring as I walked away.

I was being stupid, I knew. Walking home through the Narrows was no easy task and, since I lived near the river on the other side of town, I figured I would just head towards the river and follow upstream.

It was easy enough to walk though, with the rain, I felt water soaking through my thin sweater. Damn me, knowing that it was nearing autumn. There was always rain in fall for Gotham.

My dress was soaked, my make-up was running, and I let my hair down, furiously beginning to stalk off. Then I heard the whistle.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing down here?" asked one man. There were three.

My mind was at ease, calm among these idiotic perverts while my heart jumpstarted my body into adrenaline flushed, fight-or-flight mode. There were a few yards behind me and I growled, turning only slightly to face them, feeling my hair stick to my face. I probably looked like hell.

"Going home." I answered simply, easily. They were jogging then. And it all hit me as I walked a little faster.

Shit.

One of them caught my arm and I turned, shocked and furious.

"You should stick around. Enjoy the nightlife." another man crooned. His cronies snickered and I growled.

"No thanks."

Another one, his hair shaved in several odd places, took my other arm with a grin as I tried, unsuccessfully, to tug away.  
"Oh, but we insist. You see, pretty little dame like you don't come down here often. They don't like to, um, tangle with the big boys." he said, a sick grin on his face. One of his hands reached up and got dangerously close to my chest.

And I panicked.

Crescent kick, chop, block, two were on the ground. I stomped quickly on the other's foot and tried to run. It was sensible that I'd worn flats today, I realized. Odd that my mind brought this up to me at this moment.

I shrieked suddenly, as a great weight abruptly crashed into me from behind. The biggest one, the one who hadn't spoken, had tackled me and turned me over. I was struggling like any girl would now, his hands at my wrists the only things stopping me from lashing out with fists and claws.

I was done for. That much was sure to me when the other two lined up behind him and the man on top of my unbuttoned my pants.

Then a familiar voice sounded through the air.

"I suggest you let the woman step free." Jonathan said. My frenzied eyes flickered to him and I saw fury in his gaze. I was genuinely shocked. He was in his precious suit, standing about in the rain, watching me about to be raped, and defending me.

Suddenly he seemed like a twig surrounded by three oaks and a measly blue leaf.

Two of them men walked over, the other one still holding me pinned as I thrashed harder. I had never expected what would happen.

As they approached him and flicked out their knives, I saw Jonathan smirk. Raised both hands, then plunge one out faster than I could see. He hit one man squared in the side of his neck and I saw him drop. The other one met a more gruesome end. The man's other hand flung out towards him and a mysterious mist shot into his face. I could barely see the gleam of silver under Jonathan's cuff.

The man dropped screaming, while their buddy jumped off me only to yank me up and hold me as a human shield. A knife at my throat and his arm gripping my waist like a cobra, I could barely breathe. Jonathan stalked forward and I saw some outlandish gleam in his eyes.

"Drop the girl." his lips said. But that wasn't his voice. It was gruffer, more primal. It was as if… as if he were a different person.

His whole stance changed as he tore his glasses away, glaring at them. He didn't look like Jonathan. The confident but quiet man, that I knew was gone.

This man has dark, dangerous eyes. e snarled his words as if it were second nature and he crouched ever so slightly. He looked like a predator. It wasn't Jonathan.

The realization hit me like a train.

_He hasn't taken his medication._

The man holding me scowled and stepped back, then I felt him flinging me around.

"All right pal, you're so keen, save your little girl." I looked at him, startled, and suddenly felt the rain pouring harder as I could barely see Jonathan anymore. He dropped me.

And the river claimed me then.

* * *

_Damn it! _Jonathan yelled. I wanted to screech at him to shut his mouth but, instead, held my breath and gassed the other marauder. He fell to the ground, screaming just as the man behind me had. I saw Deirdre then, her face struggling in the currents of the river.

Primitive, instinctual, I did the only thing I could think to do and jumped.

The water was freezing but, Jonny boy didn't complain. He only remained silent. I could feel his hope pounding inside of my head.

And my hands brushed skin. I had her wrist then and pulled her towards me. The water soaked me to the bone and I pulled her tighter, clutching her to me. I had to try swimming with one arm as I remembered their conversation a few weeks back.

_"Going for a swim in that puddle doctor?"_

_"I doubt it. I never learnt that particular skill."_

The current washed me to the side and I felt me body slam into the riverbank. Jonathan was not going to thank me for that. I looked down at Deirdre then swore. Her body was sprawled out, unconscious and I heard Jonny deduce that she had hit her head on the riverbank.

She was shuddering. And I groaned. Damn it all.

"Jonathan." I said, my voice strained as I gasped over her.

He saw immediately what I was thinking and started to yell angrily. I glared down at the muddy riverside, still clutching her. She began shaking more violently.

_No! Absolutely not! She is a colleague and… damn it a friend! What the hell happened to you?_

I stared down at her and was horrified to see her lips turning blue.

Not now. This was not supposed to be what happened.

It was Jonathan's house but this wasn't going to happen. I picked up Deirdre and began running. She was heavier with the soaked clothes and I growled, pushing myself faster at the feel of her ice cold skin.

_You are not taking her to my house! You know what work will say! There'll be putzes all over! _Jonny yelled angrily. I scowled and made him feel what I felt. He cringed away from the goose bumps raising on her arm. And I couldn't reach his car fast enough.

The whole way home, I broke all the traffic laws in the book, much to the doctor's distress.

I could hear Deirdre in the other seat.

"Jon… Jonathan… Jonathan?" it was endless. And only his name, making me growl. It hadn't been Jonny who had saved her.

_Yes but it was me who decided to check on her._ he sounded annoyed.

"What should I do once we get her home?" I asked, distressed. Damn it, I shouldn't be feeling this, any of this concern and worry.

_Let me take back over so I can help her._

At this point I wasn't one to argue.

But something struck me then. If she knew what I'd just done to those men, she would report it. I had saved her only to get rid of her myself. Despite the slight discomfort with the idea, I let out a laugh and Jonathan scowled within the depths of his own mind as I pulled into the lot of his house.

_Let me out now._

I had no choice.

* * *

_I was freezing._

The river was cold, I gulped down water when I tried to breathe then coughed it all back up. I was going to drown, I knew.

But something wasn't letting me. It was like an anchor was dragging me away. My head hit something hard and I fell into a black sleep. Unconsciousness.

I moved my lips to the only word that would come out of them. Surely he had been my savior. And why?

Jonathan shouldn't have followed me.

But even in my state of mind, I was glad he had.

I awoke to an unnatural warmth. I was still a little wet but, very very warm.

Feeling my eyelids flicker open, spots of light danced in front of me until it cleared into darkness. I was in a room but, it wasn't mine. So… warm.

And then I was conscious that someone was sitting next to me.

"You're awake."

No relief, no joy, just stating a fact. I sat up and suddenly felt aware that I was naked.

"What the hell?" I demanded, groping for something. Was I on a bed? No. A mattress. A blanket fell victim to my clutches and I yanked it up to my shoulders.

"I take it you are unpleased with me?" he questioned. Where was he?

Tossing my head, I felt my damp blonde hair flip around and brush something. A hand came close to my face, brushing my hair back past my ear. I shivered, the cold air hitting my back.

"Why'd you undress me?" I demanded. I wasn't going to accuse him of rape but, I was a little unnerved. My recent encounter was definitely going to cause some trauma.

"You're a doctor, you should know. It would have been easier for you to get warm outside of wet clothes. I didn't want you catching hypothermia." he said quietly.

It felt like all the weeks were catching up to me.

Watching him rub his temple in irritation, the man I'd been talking to who seemed so much more comfortable than this one, the gas he'd use to harm my attacker. Suddenly, I was the one touching his face.

"You don't take your medication do you Jonathan?" I asked softly, still holding the blanket over myself. His face was dry but, like me, his hair was damp.

I wondered if he'd dried me off. The thought was unbearably sweet. I couldn't bring myself to be disturbed.

"No. I don't need it." he whispered. I nodded.

"How long have you been doing this?" I asked softly, my hand unconsciously starting to run through his hair. As if I were comforting him. When I moved it back down, he caught my wrist and kept it at his cheek.

"I won't stop. Not if you turn me in." he said, instantly defensive. It infuriated me. I hadn't been planning on turning him in for anything.

"What is it with you?" I demanded, standing up fiercely and pulling the bed sheet around me to drape and tie it.

"I don't need help." he growled.

"Yes you do! Maybe not mentally but you need it!" I yelled at him. It was me, desperately trying to get the upper hand but it wasn't what I really thought. He suddenly grabbed my shoulder and began hauling me off. A light was on in the room he pulled me in to. It was a bathroom.

I panicked as he began pulling the sheet off and tried to clutch it.

It didn't work. I stumbled, naked again as the light exposed me. I cringed away from him as he turned me towards him.

"Don't you patronize me. Look at yourself!" he yelled at me angrily. I did, looking down. I was shaking, my arms had bruises appearing from where the men had grabbed me.

"It wasn't my fault." I said hotly. He reached forward and shook me by my shoulders.

"You tried to fight! You never try to fight, you scream! Do you have any idea…" he trailed off from his rant to look down at the ground. It was odd, being wholly bare in front of him.

"Jonathan… I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." I whispered. He looked back up at me and growled, his face looking fierce. I wondered if he'd even changed out of his old suit. Probably not.

"You don't walk home through the Narrows. If your car is broken down or something I'm diving you from now on." he said.

"I don't live close en-" he cut me off easily.

"You're going to stay here."

"No I'm not!" I said incredulously.

"Then you're staying with Doctor Quinzel." he noticed me about to protest and his voice rose. "I don't want to hear it Brookes!"

He turned, snatching a towel off a small ring, nailed to the wall, and threw it at me.

"Clean up." he snarled, slamming the door behind him. I felt myself falling and gripped the edge of his sink, dropping on my butt to the floor.

And then I started to cry.

* * *

_A little harsh, don't you think Jonathan? _the Scarecrow said. He seemed timid and I was almost disgusted.

He was the one with the plan to twist her mind, he was the one who had wanted to take a doctor and make her a weapon. This had been his idea and now he was angry at me?

I dug my fingers into the side of my head, wanting to get rid of him.

Then we heard it.

On the other side of the door, there was a small thud. A stifled cry. Then the sound of a girl crying.

I tried to hold him down but, before I knew what was going on, my body jerked around and he had forced his way through my layers of protective defensive. I felt myself fading as the monster inside me lunged to the door and opened it. I felt my body tighten up as i regained control. Jonathan shouting in the background was nothing. All I could see was the woman wrapped up in the corner, shielding her face from me.

"Go away." she said, looking down.

"I'm sorry about Jonny. He can be a bit of a bastard." I growled, pulling her hands down and gently helping her to her feet. I saw her eyes widen.

"Y-you're not Jonathan."

"No but, I'm not going to hurt you." I growled, taking a towel and wrapping it around her so she could drop the bed sheet.

"You're Scarecrow." she said. Her voice was dull, as if she couldn't really take any more surprises today. I nodded instead of speaking. She sighed and looked down.

"I suppose I owe you a thank you. You saved my life. I don't know if you knew I can't-"

"Swim." I cut her off. She blinked, looking a little confused. "Whatever Jonny knows, I know."

"So... so he can hear me right now?" she asked. I smirked a little. Simple doctor, returning to her curiosity.

"Yes."

She nodded, taking a seat on top of the filthy lid of our toilet. She didn't seem repulsed by this place, as I often was.

"So... it hasn't been Jonathan I've been talking to these past few weeks. It was..." she trailed off and looked up.

Her grey eyes traveled down, looking me over. I could see her noticing the subtle difference now.

I was more relaxed, allowed myself to slouch. I'd already loosened the tie around my neck upon leaving the asylum. I hadn't taken careful time to comb my hair back into place. She stopped at my face and I met her gaze evenly. wasn't going to be able to threaten her with our information. I knew that now.

She wasn't the woman to go down like that. She'd fight it all the way and she wouldn't just give in so quickly.

I had to cut the ropes now.

_Please don't do what I think you're about to do. _he begged. I wanted to punch myself in the face, just to shut him up. I wasn't going to try anything... tonight.

Instead, I strode forward, turning on the water and softly pulling her back to her feet.

"You've been talking to me. Sometimes Jonathan when I can get him to be polite and behave like a gentleman. I think you had a rough night so, I'll leave you to shower and you can take Jonathan's room for the night." I said, turning to go out. I moved a little slower, certain of what would happen once that sunk in.

"Wait!" she called, catching my shoulder by the door. I turned my head, keeping an expression of blank surprise. She looked down, debating with herself for a second. I noticed her eyebrows push together as she thought. Turning, her other hand came up and rested on my collar, as if she were trying to hold me there.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"You don't have to give me your... his... that room. I'm fine." she probably didn't realize she had pressed closer and I looked down at her as she stared up.

"I'm most likely not going to be needing the use of that room tonight. Besides, Jonathan doesn't have the best accommodations. What kind of gentleman am I if I don't give the lady the best I can?"

_Yourself._ Jonathan sneered.

I twitched.

She sighed and looked down before stretching up a bit to kiss the side of my cheek and pull away.

"Thank you. You weren't.. exactly what I expected from the stories." she admitted. I smirked and took her hand, pulling it to my face and kissing the inside of her palm, seeing her flush out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't judge people until you know them."

With that I turned and strode out of the room.

* * *

I was lying on the mattress later that night in the dress Jonath- Scarecrow had been nice enough to dry for me.

I was dealing with conflict.

Jonathan was an arrogant, pompous bastard who would be on my side one day then against me the next. He had treated me like shit every time I spoke to him and, quite frankly, he pissed me off. But he was the good guy. He was the abused little boy from my school who I'd taken pity on for a while.

Scarecrow was supposed to be evil. He'd put Carmine Falcone in Arkham and did dangerous dealings in drugs. But... I remembered him laughing with me, smiling at me. I could sort of tell the difference now, between him and Jonathan. I remembered long arms dragging me out of water, and I remembered him kissing me.

I couldn't do this. I'd gotten too involved with a crazy before; this was too much.

But, as I turned over, I looked out the open window, seeing the rain outside and thinking about where I was.

I wanted comfort right now. wanted something that, at least for a while, would seem normal in this evil place. Gotham was going to hell. if it was inevitable, I wanted to at least get a few moments of piece before going along.

I shut my eyes.

Please. Please let sleep come.


	17. She's got Style, She's got Grace

A/N: So, I got pretty positive reviews for that. Funny. when you think about it, it's sort of a love triangle. scarecrow fells for Deidre, Deirdre sort of fell for Jonathan, and Jonathan likes her but is too up his own bum hole to do anything about it. Well, this should be interesting. too bad, I don't own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

_"She's got style, she's got grace."_

_~She's a Lady, __**Tom Jones**_

When I woke up, I had a crippling headache and my stomach growled. I quickly remembered where I was and flushed slightly. I'd have to be at work soon.

God what would people say when we showed up together?

More importantly, I realized, what would Harley say when I found her again. I hoped she hadn't gotten into any trouble. My phone was... in my purse. In Jonathan's car.

I rubbed my head, for a few minutes, trying to formulate a plan, figure out what I was going to do once I left the room and walked straight out to Jonathan. Scarecrow. Whoever was out there.

The door creaked open ever so slightly and I jumped, spooked.

"Are you decent?" came the all too formal voice i knew. I almost sighed. This was going to be awkward.

"Yes Jonathan, I'm fine."

The door pushed open the rest of the way.

There he was, standing perfectly prim and proper, looking around the room as if he were searching for anything missing. Finally, his eyes returned to me. it didn't occur to me until he looked that this was actually a very intimate situation. I was sitting on his bed, in his room, covered in a dress I would have to discard because it had been through near drowning.

"So can I expect police at my door any time soon?" he asked quietly. I frowned and bit the corner of my lip.

Was I really going to call the police. He seemed like he was going to wait for me so I dropped my head, masking my face with hair, and thought.

On one hand, I knew how dangerous it was for people with personality disorders and schizophrenia to go off their medication. It was dangerous to go off prescribed meds period. He was a potential danger to himself and to others around him.

Yet, I had been talking to the Scarecrow, it appeared, for weeks. I bore him no ill will and owed the man my life. Jonathan had firm control over the asylum and I was certain there was no criminal activity going on here.

I couldn't even be angry at him for tricking me. I wasn't even sure why they had. It seemed pointless unless Jonathan hadn't been able to talk to me easily and brought out someone who could.

And if that were true, it was easily my fault.

I sighed and looked up.

"Not unless you've told somebody else who would turn you in." I said, pushing my hair away from my face. I felt his eyes on me and tried to ignore the feeling of being stared at.

"May I inquire as to why?" he asked. I blinked, a sudden thought coming to me as I looked up.

The corner of my mouth tilted up ever so slightly.

"Only if you answer one of my questions." I said. he seemed irked but, nodded sharply. "Why a Scarecrow, of all things?"

His visage darkened and I could see him shutting things out. It was almost as if his eyes were gateways to his mind.

"I was unusually tall, skinny as a boy. Children used to call me a scarecrow."

I nodded then said, "Because I owe you."

He nodded again and looked down. A few moments of silence in which I pulled myself up and walked over to him.

Carefully, I pushed his face up from where it stared down at his shoes and peered up at him.

"I mean that Jonathan. I do owe you. And... I would very much like to try and get along."I said. I wished he could hear the pleading in my voice.

* * *

_God dammit. _Scarecrow hissed.

_What? _I thought, confused at his sudden rush of anger.

_She wants you to like her. Dammit. _he growled again. I felt shocked, confused as to how he had possible worked that out just by looking at her.

But before I could see what he did, she turned away and ran her fingers through her hair. I saw the ring finger of her hand trace the scar I knew was behind the pale blonde locks she rarely let down like this.

"We need to get to work." she said, sighing. "There'll be hell there."

"It's Sunday. You're off." I wanted to just keep her here. wanted to ask he to just stay with me so I knew she was safe here. But there was too much feeling involved in that one simple request. She would want to know why and I wouldn't want to tell her.

"Then I want to go to Harley's house." she said, stubborn. I could read this much of her. She wanted out of this house.

"Alright."

She nodded her thanks and I went to get my keys, bitter frustration filling me

* * *

I thanked Jonathan when he dropped me off at Harley's, annoyed with him and too confused about these revelations to try anything yet.

I felt him staring after me as I shut the car door and started to Harley's apartment.

God only knew what she'd been up to. I realized I'd driven her to work.

she had walked home too.

I made it up to her room in no time and found the door wide open. My brow furrowed, I walked in.

Everything around me was chaos.

The couch was turned over, pillows on the floor. The wide screen TV looked like it had actulaly been shoved halfway out her window in an attempt to get it to the ground below.

That television was still bigger than the window.

All of her flower vases were smashed. There was water all over the floor and her books had all been thrown off the shelves. Some paintings had been rehung, upside down or on their sides. A rare few, and she didn't have many, were shattered on the floor.

I carefully picked my way around the glass to where I heard a shrill grunting noise from Harley's bedroom.

I found her in there and fear, along with pity, struck through me.

She was kneeling on the floor in front of a dresser, all her clothes strewn out, a shattered mirror by her head. Behind her, the sheets had been seemingly cut off her bed and the mattress had been destroyed.

Harley was holding a knife , shredding a dress. She was mumbling something.

She hadn't changed out of her clothes but, there was something different about her. She was smiling stupidly. I knelt down beside her.

There was no question as to what had happened. I didn't want to ask what had happened. All I did was reach out and take her hand, the one holding the knife, and smile.

"Hey Harles." I murmured. She looked up at me, her eyes confused for a second. Then she giggled.

"Deirdre, have you looked at yourself recently?" she asked, gasping for air. I shook m head. and touched my face. Was something wrong with me?

Harley pointed, giggling like a school girl.

"You're completely insane."

I blinked. Then, feeling my usual state of calm return, I drawled sarcastically, "Thanks for the opinion doc. And I'm sure you're perfectly fine. This is just redecoration."

Her smile vanished. She looked up and I noticed something on the dresser top. A rose in a vase.

"He dropped it off before I got home Deirdre. This is me cutting myself off and away from technology, from life, from everything. The only thing left for me is him Deer." then she turned and looked at me pointedly. "Just like the only thing left for you is Jonathan and his other half."

Could I have been surprised so much recently that even the most blatantly shocking things were no longer frightening or astonishing?

Apparently so.

I couldn't remember the last time Harley had been the stronger one of us, the smarter one but, as I sat there, I began to expect she always had been.

She just hadn't known this until a psychopath showed her. Just like I didn't know how good it could feel to lose that professional, shut off appearance until It'd been stripped of me by the kind of person I was trying to avoid.

All reality had been turned upside down.

And, as Harley and I stood up to get some food from her kitchen, I caught sight of my eye, reflected a million times into the shattered mirror.

That was what Harley had been talking about.

I could see.

And the world was blind.


	18. Birds of a Feather Fight Together

A/N: who here thinks Harley's snapped? Yeah, she's practically gone but there's one final piece to the puzzle here. So Deirdre's gonna spend a day at Harley's, all of this sinking in, and they'll be back at the asylum tomorrow for Harley to get some stuff sorted out. Shorter shapter but, I needed Deirdre to have a little rbeak, be a girl, hang out with Harley before shit hits the fan. I do not own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

_"Birds of a feather fight together."_

"Harley, I gotta say, I'm a little scared of you know. How the hell did you get the telly that far out a window it shouldn't even fit through in the first place?" I asked, munching on Cheese Nips on the floor.

Harley, from where she sat, leaning against the over turned couch, her feet resting on the dining table, shrugged.

This was us. The strong, brave, women doctors resigning themselves to a life insanity and, for Harley at least, a possible early death.

I was ecstatic and remorseful at the same time. I was young. I had flown threw medical school, crammed in college, graduated high school early, I had interned in two places for the same amount of time, I had virtually set myself up for this kind of career forever. Now what was I doing? Throwing it all away. in a way, it freed me.

I could do whatever I wanted. I could go throw a rock through the window a the state asylum, could flip off Christopher Mullohaund then shove him off a cliff, and I could run up to the Scarecrow, Jonathan, one of them, and kiss him all I wanted.

What was wrong with me?

Had I always been this crazy? Was it a phase?

All these questions I never knew the answer to and all the questions I would never know the answer to. there was really a time, back when I'd started at Arkham, when I'd thought that I might be able to learn everything. I might have actually been able to absorb all the world's knowledge.

Jonathan was right. I had been naive. And he hadn't told me to be condescending. He'd said it to alert me, to try and let me open my eyes.

I'd resented him for that. But he had been right all along. I was a silly girl with a lab coat and respect.

I laughed at the revelation and, though I'm sure she had no idea why I'd done so, Harley laughed too.

"So what now Deer? He gave me the rose... I guess I'm not sure what to do myself. I want to go after Mistah J before he gets hurt?" she said. I noticed the slight change in her voice. As long as I'd known Harley, she had worked to sound professional and tried her best not to seem too much like a Barbie doll.

She was embracing that side of herself. And with it went that fake Gotham voice.

Harley had been born and spent the first few years of her life in the queens area of New York. I sighed. I didn't want to sound proper anymore either.

"_Mistah_ J? Harley ya sound like a nut bag." I said, nearly keeping a straight face before she glanced at me and we both burst out laughing. She shrugged again.

"I really don't care. I'm as good as fired, I've got no career after that, I've lost all respect from my colleagues if a miracle occurs and Crane lets me stay, not to mention I would never be able to stay there if they coop up Mistah J again. Birds of a feather fight together. You know that." she said, listing off reasons on her finger.

She was making her way to the kitchen and I stretched my neck a little to see her.

She was taking a bottle of wine out from a cabinet and ripping the cork out with her teeth. Savage, angry, stubborn but, completely Harley.

She got the cork out, spit it on the floor, stomped on it, then walked back to the living room, offering me the bottle. Another day I might have asked for a glass. Now, I took the bottle gratefully and just took a gulp.

It burned my throat in a nice kind of way. I hadn't had a drink in a while. The last time had been the champagne at that party Jonathan had taken me to.

I checked the bottle. the label had been torn off and Harley had probably just poisoned me.

Who the hell cared?

I passed her the wine, noticing that the return trip to her nook was too easy and she had slouched next to me.

For a second, as she kept drinking liquor, I looked at her.

Harley was beautiful. I would never be as comfortable in my skin as she was. Harley was short with curves in the right places and the blonde haired, blue eyed look that guys went head over heels for. My hair was silvery blonde, too long, and it frizzed up when I went to bed. Not to mention I was too tall for most men to feel comfortable around me enough to date and my skin was pale.

I was a the freaky gypsy girl and Harley was the circus trapeze artist.

What a pair.

"I guess," I said, as she handed me back the win, "to answer your question, I guess we should just. You know. Hang back for a bit. Like I said, if he doesn't come for you or doesn't turn up in a month, we'll go looking."

I mimicked her shrug then took another few gulps of wine, breathing through my nose so I could just down it.

As I put it down, I heard her say, "Now what about you and Jonathan Crane?"

I sighed and placed my head between my knees. Harley had offered me some of her clothes while we trashed the dress. My waist was bared by a too small, long sleeved black shirt and hip hugging jeans.

What was I doing with him?

"You don't understand your feelings quite yet, do you?" Harley asked, turning sympathetic.

"I can understand the attraction perfectly. I'm just confused as to who I want. Jonathan or Scarecrow. And which one wants me?" I asked, miserably.

"Hun, I think you're looking into it too much. If they didn't both like you, why'd Jonathan do all of that stuff you told me about? Why was he so upset over the prospect of you getting hurt? And if this Scarecrow didn't care, do you think you'd be alive right now?" she pointed out, throwing a arm over my shoulder.

I groaned.

"Then god damn! Why don't I just go and take him right now? Why don't I just make my claim so no one else can? Harley I don't know anything about this. I'm a scholar not a dater. And I can't just ignore the fact that he's still making illegal drugs." I commented sharply.

"Drink." Harley ordered, handing back the bottle.

Jesus Christ was it almost gone already? That would explain my headache-like buzz.

I did as Harley said as she went on to explain things I can't even remember.

* * *

"H-have I ever told you how much I luuuuurrrvvee your hair?" I hiccupped, nudging Harley's head with my foot as I hung, upside down, over the side of her mattress. I couldn't even remember going to her room.

Harley was sitting on the other side, wheezing laughs through her teeth, loudly.

"S-sweetie. C-come on Deirdre you're... You're drunk. Gimme... Gi-Give me your keys." she slurred, standing up, stumbling a little, and holding out her hand. I stuck out my tongue.

"We're n-not dri-" I started to protest and Harley shook her head, wobbling a little and smacked her lips mockingly.

"Gimme the kl-keys." she said again. I laughed, choking on my own giggle. Then I pointed to my purse, on top of her screwed up dresser. What would I need it for now? I just needed my keycard to get into Arkham. Technically, since we were going together tomorrow I only needed Harley's which I really hoped she hadn't thrown into the river.

"She found them and retreated out her door and down the hall. Moments later I heard a toilet flush.

Whatever the hell she was doing, it wasn't good. My car alarm went off outside for a few seconds before a crunching sound stopped it.

I just cackled, the noise resounding in Harley's room. No...

No, not Harley's room.

Whoever's room this was it was not Harley's. At least not Deirdre's Harley.

Harley entered the room, grinning like... well like a clown.

She chuckled, pointing at me.

"I was just thinking of how you would look with a Chelsea grin." she said. An almost intelligible sentence. I laughed.

"Did I look like your Joker?" I asked, coughing, and tearing up as it burned my throat but, still managing to grin at her dumbly.

"Naw." she slurred, falling where she stood, her hair spreading out around her like snaked. She lifted her head and I saw a throbbing red mark where it had hit the floor. "Ya looked like the Black Dahlia."

I wanted to remember that for some reason.


	19. Then I set Fire to our Bed

A/N: so who has an idea as to when Harleen is gonna become our dear sweet Harley Quinn? Not yet I say. Not yet... But it's coming up. And I promise you that Deirdre and Jonathan won't disappoint. Jonny does like her. He's just shy ;) and we all love him for it *squishes Jonny*. Ehem... anyways, time to go to work.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

_"Then I set fire to our bed."_  
_Kiss With A Fist__, __**Florence and the Machine**_

I had a headache again and Harley was in no better shape. She'd thrown up this morning. Though I hadn't known until she commented on not wanting to look out her living room window.

I felt in much better shape than I had last night. Somewhere between being hung over and being drunk, I had secured a spot in neutral territory.

What Jonathan did was wrong. But I loved him and I loved the Scarecrow. No fighting it, no ifs, ands, or buts. I was through screwing around and trying to analyze everything. No doubt I would continue. I loved being a doctor too much to give it up. And I loved it so much that I was certain Jonathan wouldn't deny me that last little pleasure.

I would be stripped of my license.

I would be the bad girl, the one my parents would look down on instead of the shining star. Maybe my siblings would find some condolence in being favorite once again.

I was thinking this over as Harley and I dressed. Harley had now given me a simple white blouse and black skirt with some heels a size too small that hurt my feet.

Who the hell cared?

I just went with it, snapping my hair tie off my wrist, ready to pull it up when a thought struck me.

I was giving up right?

So I wanted to do this right. Harley and I would walk into that Asylum equals. I let my hair fall down. In the past few weeks it had continued growing. It was just a little ways past my hips now. I would leave it like that. Having it long meant I could always count on it in my otherwise chaotic life. And, pale as it was, I knew people were bound to notice my scar.

Harley and I were the same. We'd both been abused by a patient. It was a distinct part of our past.

So, we silently left her apartment, not needing to say anything. I climbed into the passenger seat and waited for Harley, who smiled as she got in. I rolled my eyes.

She was wearing purple and green again. This time, it was rather blatant. I had no idea where she'd gotten her corduroys but they were deep amethyst, the same colour as her jacket. Her own green blouse looked new and I guessed she had bought it recently. Or stolen it.

But her eyeliner was heavy and her black eye shadow was layered on like her life had depended on keeping it there. I have no idea what inspired the loose hair.

Maybe she, wanted to seem equal too.

Nonetheless, we were both quiet as she drove us into the Narrows and over to Arkham.

* * *

As Harley got out of the car, she spoke the first words.

"Well. It's show time." she commented dryly, turning to smile at me. I laughed and gave her a messy salute before we walked in together.

The first thing I noticed was that the asylum was still busy. Not only with doctors, it was swarming with police. I heard laughter, all too familiar laughter, and Harley gasped.

Kneeling in the middle of the floor were two men. One who was gasping with laughter as people circled around them. The other was writhing in a police officer's strong arms. I felt a flare of panic. That messy white shirt was familiar. But I couldn't think about that as I ran after Harley, sprinting ahead of me to shove through the crowd.

She kept making whimpering noises. I couldn't risk her having another break down.

As I followed her, I heard her shriek at a policeman who denied her access to the man, "I'm his doctor!"

I followed her as she shoved past, collapsing to her knees and puling his face up to look at her. I forced myself not to wince.

Someone had done a number on him. But if this was the Joker then who was...

"We found this one in an abandoned candy factory. The Batman dropped Crane and the body off with us this morning."

Crane.

I turned, listening to Harley murmur to the Joker, obviously not listening to anyone else.

The security guard was now helping hold Crane down. I saw that he was twitching, his eyes wide with terror, his chest heaving with labored pants. I was dumbfounded and I turned to the officer who had spoken. A large, bald man with the beginning of a dark black beard growing around his chin.

"What did he do?" I asked numbly.

"Murdered the Director of the state asylum. Apparently he had some sort of new toxin. Instant heart attack. Freak." the man spat, inconsiderate that Jonathan was right ther.

I blinked. Then I turned to watch Jonathan again. He caught my eye and I saw something flash in there. Horror gripped me.

"What happened to him?"

"The Bat wanted him to get a taste of his own medicine." the officer replied. I winced this time, seeing Jonathan staring at me as he thrashed again, snarling at the officers. Finally, his arm was free and he pointed directly at me. I could see the doctors and guards alike, watching my calm reaction to it.

"You! For you!" he almost gagged on his words as they began to cart him away.

I remembered my 'dream' of seeing him outside my window and wondered how long he had been watching me.

_How long have you been watching him? _sounded that little voice inside my head. I almost cringed away from it.

He had killed Christopher and I couldn't' care less. Something was wrong with me, that was certain. yet, I couldn't help but feel... relieved. He knew the man had been bothering me. He'd taken care of the problem. I couldn't watch as they took him away.

I turned away, just in time to see the Joker being pried out of Harley's arms. I saw her eyes light up with fire. She was going to attack if I didn't do something.

"Don't hurt him!" I blurted out. Harley twitched but, froze where she crouch on the floor. I looked straight at the guard and shook my head, helping Harley to her feet as she shuddered, a look of pain on her face. "Don't hurt him."

Harley bit her lip and I could tell she was trying not to cry. Suddenly, hands hauled both of us back. I never got to see who was dragging us up the stairs until she threw us into her office and turned on the lights with a glare.

Lealand strolled forwards, past our two bodies lying on the floor where she had discarded us.

I didn't want to get up. I wanted to stay where I was as the sunlight fled into through room through the blinds she opened.

"What the fuck have you two gotten yourselves into?" she demanded, hands on hips, eyes like daggers. Harley glared and sealed her lips, crossing her arms and legs like a five year old. I rolled my eyes before giving her a glare of my own.

"Well excuse me Joan. I don't believe I've gotten myself into anything." I scowled angrily.

"You and Crane and her and that maniac! I am sick of lies. You two are going to therapy! Deirdre, don't think I don't' see you ogling over Jonathan. The whole asylum thinks that you're just a little crushed on him but I know better." she ranted, beginning to pace.

I nodded at Harley who began scooting back as I stood, striding over to Lealand.

"We haven't done anything Joan. Please believe me. I just need to let Harley get her head on straight. I'm trying to help her." I murmured. Joan looked up at me, my face contorted into a look of pain. She looked past me at Harley, who was shifting recklessly, running her fingers through her hair.

I had to admit, we made a good team.

Lealand seemed suspicions and I almost crossed my fingers, hoping to god that this worked when she sighed.

"One day. If she comes back here tomorrow and she's still like this, that's it. I'll report her to Jeremiah Arkham."

I was confused for half a second before I remembered. With Jonathan inside of a cell, Arkham must be living it up, back in control of his family's asylum.

He must be so fucking proud that Jonathan had been hurt by Batman. That Scarecrow had been hurt, that the men in that body were damaged and were probably going through withdrawals from dangerous drugs right now.

I turned, pretending to have to cart Harley out.

The second the door was shut behind us, she took off to her office. I went the opposite way, towards mine. When I reached it, I threw open the door and went straight to the computer. All of my notes, all of the video sessions with Zsasz I deleted and erased from my computer's history. I wouldn't need them anymore.

I went to work at finding something in my desk for protection: a tasor.

Then I tossed all of my notes and files then grabbed my lab coat off the nearby hook on the wall, pulling it on and slipping my weapon into the pocket.

When I got back out to the hallway, Harley was there, waiting for me anxiously.

"Get in the car, I'll be out in ten minutes. I have to see someone first." I said. I must have been a sight to see because she only nodded, her eyes wide with distress as she climbed down the stairs. I had to be fast and I basically ran up to the sixth floor where I spoke to the man guarding Zsasz's cell and got him to let me in.

As I walked in, he looked up. He grinned at me, looking a little surprised to see me here.

"Victor, I'm cutting you a deal." I said, getting straight to the chase. HE sat up, seeming perplexed.

"What would that be doc?"

"Deirdre. No more doctor. I'm fairly certain I'll be taken off your case soon. Just as certain as I am you'll be a free man soon." I said. His eyes lit up at the word 'free.' I smiled and pulled the device out of my pocket, handing it into his outstretched fingers but, firmly keeping it there with a glare on my face. "After all the doctors have left tonight, you're going to use this, call a guard into your cell and do what you have to. In return, I want to ask that you don't come after Doctor Quinzel or me."

He watched me for a moment, just debating my words before he clasped his hand around mine, holding the weapon, and shook it.

"Deal."

I nodded and retreated from the cell, thanking the guard, ready to go down to Harley.

* * *

When I reached the parking lot, she was waiting right by the door, the passenger side open for me to climb in as she put the car into drive and took off. I could tell it was taking all of her will power to drive the Gotham speed limit.

"We have to get some stuff from my apartment first. I think I've got stuff we can use." she said, grinding her teeth. I sighed, then looked back up at her.

Just to be clear, just to know that I'd reached the point of no return, I had to ask.

"We're breaking them out, aren't we?"

She took her eyes off the road, just to glance at me. And that one glance was enough.

Harley was detaching herself from me. She was going to break the Joker out and nothing would stop her.

She was no longer my Harley. She was his Harley and I wouldn't be able to sotp tat. I wouldn't even try.

She was offering me a ride, showing me we were still friends. She was showing me that we were seperate yet, still close. No longer Harley and Deirdre but, just Harley. Then Deirdre. the seperation pained me but, I could not truly pity myself or her for it. Because she was handing me an offer to change with her, giving me a mission that I could share.

And a chance I would never have again.


	20. Ruissian Roullete is not the Same

A/N: Harley's gone. Deirdre's going along for the ride. So... who wants to see a jail break? I do not own batman.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

_"Russian roulette is not the same without a gun."_

_~Lady Gaga, __**Pokerface**_

When we got to Harley's apartment, she was the first one out of the car.

I followed her quickly up to her apartment and back to her bedroom where she was searching through clothes.

Scratch that, cursing at clothes.

"For Christ's sake! None of this appropriate!" she scowled. I sighed.

"Harley, what are you talking about?" I asked, exasperated, leaning against the doorframe. She looked up at me, finger in the air.

"That's Harley Quinn to you!" she shouted. I blinked, shaking my head. She went into an explanation, leading me to her closet. "The first day we spoke, when he grabbed me and threatened me, you asked me what he'd said. He told me 'hold on Harley Quinn. It's time to have some fun.'"

I blinked.

Harley Quinn? Harlequin. Of course. That must have been why he was so taken with her from the beginning.

I just watched, thinking about what she was doing.

"Can't we just get ready and go?"

"You only get one first impression Deer. I intend to make mine loud and clear. I want to look like a Harlequin, not just act the part." she said, finding a diamond pattern vest and throwing it down with a white top.

I thought about that for a moment before realizing Harley was right. You only got one shot at a first impression. I intended to make Jonathan know whose side I was on.

Harley had a pair of shorts I could use. Ones that she had thought were too long for her, bearing a little above her knees. On me, those would be like running shorts.

I eventually found them and Harley had finished putting together her outfit while I pulled nylons and the shorts, kicking her heels into a corner. she had found a pair of red flates to wear with some black polyester pants. Harley appraised the look and raised an eyebrow.

"I have something else for you." she said, holding up a finger once more.

She returned a few minutes later with a rather interesting top. It was white, looked rater snug around the upper torso area. I pulled off my shirt shamelessly, tossing this one on instead.

I was right. It fit snuggly against my skin. past my chest and elbows. Then it fanned out in a dramatic, seventies fashion. I liked it.

"Any other gems of wisdom to impart upon me?" I asked, smirking. She thought before grabbing my wrist. I was carted into the bathroom by a girl who was probably insane by now.

She sat me down and instructed me not to move which, I didn't for probably a few hours.

Harley took a long time getting us ready but, we walked out quite different.

I emerged, my lips painted white, my hair in French pigtails, and powder on my face. I looked like a damn ghost. Which was Harley's reasoning.

_Oh Deirdre. You've spent your entire life trying to hide from your natural beauty. Embrace that part of yourself. Yeah right. It's not hard for you. _I thought acidly as she pranced from the bathroom, her own face painted thickly with white and black diamonds around her eyes. She her hair in high pigtails, completing her clownish appeal. She grabbed a hoodie off the floor form where she had tossed clothes and pulled it on, covering her face successfully.

"Let's go." she whispered.

"I look like a damned ghost." I said, voicing my earlier thoughts. Harley smiled at me as we went down the stairs.

"You look like a white flower." she assured me, trying to keep up with my pace. I slowed down a little for Harley's sake.

"Yeah, yeah I know. A dahlia." I rolled my eyes. She snapped her fingers and looked at me, eyes bright behind the make-up.

"Dahlia, that can be your new name." she said, throwing open the door from the stairs to her apartment lobby. We raced past the woman at the front desk, who looked at us in curiosity, then sleekly slid into her car. It was almost four. We had spent a long time getting ready and I still didn't know how this was going to work.

"Why would I need a new name?" I asked. I liked Deirdre. It was unique.

Harley sighed, "Because you're going to need something new if we're doing this. You don't want the world to know you ask just Deirdre do you? Or do you want this fresh start to be fresh? You wasted enough time to be just Deirdre. Break out of your shell."

Harley had a way with words. Sometimes I wished Harley didn't have a way with words.

* * *

For some reason, I was waiting in a car outside of a novelty shop while Jonathan lay, wasting away in Arkham walls. The alarm hadn't gone off yet so, I was assuming Harley would be done. Not the case.

I was getting ready to climb into the driver's seat and hijack her car when she exploded out the entrance, tossing me something.

A toy gun and some smoke bomb?

She didn't explain as we headed off to Arkham.

* * *

I had gone through withdrawals all day. It was quite painful. It was just past dusk, the darkness surrounding me still full of familiar cell belongings. Just a cot and a door. Nothing special. since there wasn't truly a way to get us into higher cells tonight, the Joker and I were on the second floor, behind the glass cell walls. I could see him across the hall.

_Well congrats Jonny, you were right._

_Of course I was right. But you couldn't let it go because of your little crush._

_Shut the hell up, I hear something._

It was true. There coughing from outside the cell and guards were running out. Two dark, decidedly slim silhouettes approached the cells. One came right up to mine. Though I couldn't see the person standing there, I could see them wave their hand for me to get back. I rolled off the cot and dove under it.

Moments later there was a crash and I looked up, seeing a woman step through the smoke billowing in.


	21. I'll Never Understand Love

A/N: I'm sorry the last chapter was short. I just saw something on the telly that... kinda just messed me up. I'm a bit of a wreck so, I'm sorry about any weirdness. I had this chapter almost finished though so, here you go. I don't own Batman.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

_"I'll never understand love."_

Harley and I reached the asylum fine. I threw her hood up for her as she tried to get out of the car. I held her back and looked up, seeing her glare at me.

"Not yet. We have to wait." I cautioned.

She sat down, antsy, but ready and willing to wait.

For hours we sat there. All I could think about was Jonathan inside, wondering what tomorrow would bring, knowing he might not make another day.

I flinched at the thought.

Doctors came out and drove home. Some guards arrived and others left. It was when I saw Jeremiah Arkham and Joan Lealand come out that I nodded to Harley who ducked down with me. They saw nothing suspicious about the car and, moments later, I peeked up to see both of them drive off.

Then I dove out the door.

It was time. Harley had taken to dropping her gun and smoke bomb into her pocket. She took out her keycard and swiped it, effectively granting us entrance.

No guards by the door. I assumed they were mostly patrolling the floors. When we got in, Harley swiftly and silently took us to Jeremiah's office, which I assumed was only on the bottom floor because Jonathan had wanted to demean him.

She sat down at the computer while I paced, looking like a teenager downloading music illegally with her hoodie up like that. She was checking files and she shot up when she got something whispering excitedly, "Second floor!"

I grinned brightly at her, feeling my lips awkward reaction to the paint moving with them. I followed her up and flattened myself against the wall as she restrained me from going into the actual hallway. I watched, awed, as she popped the bomb into the gun and fired it into the hall. A small pop later and black smoke was billowing out. Guards were coughing on it and I took a deep breathe before diving in the other direction.

Harley found the Joker and, directly across from him, I found Jonathan. I was running out of air. I needed to do this fast. I motioned for him to get back and, after motioned for Harley to toss me the gun, which she promptly did.

I aimed, as if I were about to shoot, but drove it forward last second with great force. The glass splintered and I drove harder, hearing the fatal screeching noise as it cracked and fell apart. tossing the gun back to Harley, I gasped in the air from the cell and walked in to see Jonathan roll out from under the cot, stuck in the Arkham jumpsuit and a straightjacket.

They had cut his hair. It looked different but, as he looked up at me I murmured, "Jonathan?"

He nodded his head and I recognized the different light in the man's eyes that was unusual. I bent down, hoping the room wouldn't fill too fast, and undoing his jacket ties. As they slipped loose I murmured, "Poor baby."

He stood, turning to look at me, a mixture of surprise, relief, and a little happiness in his gaze. I smiled back, shamelessly looking him over.

Harley was right. Why be embarrassed now?

"I gotta say Jonny. Orange is not your colour." I said, blinking at him sympathetically. He laughed quietly and pulled me forward, leaning down to capture my mouth.

For a few moments, there was pure bliss in the gesture and I knew I'd made the right choice by coming here. I knew I hadn't royally screwed up and done the wrong thing.

a throat cleared and we separated. Harley was hanging off the Joker's side, smiling smugly.

"I told you s-"

"Yeah, yeah, you told me so. Can we please get out of here before the cops show. The guards are going to get suspicious and start coming back up soon." I scowled. Harley and he man laughed, going towards the stairs. I aimed to follow but, Jonathan caught my wrist and pulled me back, leading me confidently though the smoke to the end of the hall where I found the staff room was. The door was unlocked and he pulled me in.

I saw where he was going with this and raced over to a window, pulling it open, grateful for the fresh air, and hoisting myself out.

It was only the second floor. Another window lay just below and I carefully lowered myself on to the ledge before hanging and letting myself fall the last few feet, tucking into a ball and rolling down the hill, on to the front lawn.

Harley and the Joker were out minute behind us, leading the guards to the parking lot where Jonathan was hotwiring a car.

I was agitated, trying not to bark at him to hurry up and just looking at him to remind myself he had gone through a very, very bad day just to give me some peace of mind.

The car roared to life and Jonathan got in, the spare key from the glove box jammed into the ignition.

We backed out and took off, me smiling at him as we did so.

I noticed when he changed this time. The relaxation of the shoulders, the way we sped up, and the sly wink slid at me. I just smiled and stared out the window, wondering where he would lead us.

* * *

We were under a bridge in the Narrows. Not exactly the best place but, the person who owned the car was fairly well prepared. They had blankets and snow gear in the back. After wrapping me in one, the Scarecrow had taken to pulling one around himself. We looked just like the other homeless gothamites underneath, warming ourselves by sitting close together.

"So what do we do now?" I murmured, letting m head rest on his shoulder. There was no shame in the gesture now.

"We lay low for a bit then plan our next move." he said easily.

I nodded, letting the quiet elapse over us. A few people were talking. Some looked angry at the prospect of behind down here but, a rare few looked pleased. They were amongst friends, even broke and without a place to go.

I think it was then that I realized that this was what it really meant.

Wherever the men next to me went, I would follow. It would be my turn to get some pleasure in my life. No longer the awkward school nerd, I would be the girl to find a person to love no matter their flaws.

I was ready for that now.

As if reading my mind, Scarecrow reached out from under his blanket and took my hand, rubbing his thumb over the back f it. I sighed.

"It isn't always this peaceful."

He knew it wasn't a question.

"It gets hard but, it's not the drugs that give me the thrill. It's the lifestyle. I'm no one's man. Not even Jonny's. And now I've got pleasurable company to add to that mix." he said, giving me a look that made my bones tingle.

"Then it's all worth it... in the long run." I said. He nodded. We both looked up at the sound of police sirens.

"I'll never understand love." he said, pointedly looking at me. "But I can try to enjoy the perks."

I laughed quietly and stretched up to kiss his cheek.

"Then so can I."


	22. Epilogue

A/N: and here it is. the epilogue. So what's happened to sweet Deirdre and her accomplice(s)? I do not own Batman but, I do own this plot. Let's see how it ends, shall we?

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

_A dark car moves sleekly to a parking garage on the fourth floor of an abandoned Wayne Corp building. Five other men and two large Rottweilers stand nearby. As the car pulls up, the door opens and a sleek, nylon covered leg clad in a white boot falls to the ground moments before a woman steps out._

_Her black mask perfectly sitting on her face, her long hair tied back in French pigtails. With the gas canisters strapped to her arms, the men know not to make any move as she approached, crossing her arms angrily._

_"Make it fast." she says, her voice annoyed._

_Out of their own van, the young men pull a thrashing victim._

_"Your drugs are worthless. They're hurting our paying customers." one man says boldly, pointing at the man, screaming on the floor. The woman smirks lightly._

_"Caveat emptor." she says, sighing at their confusion. "Buyer beware. I said that the drugs would stimulate your senses, make you see some outrageous things. It's not my fault you boys didn't test them on yourselves first. Nor did I say that the 'things' would be objects you wanted to see."_

_Her almost amused manor angers one member who charges at her. Immediately, her arm shoots up and a stream of aerosol sprays straight into the man's face. He gags and falls to his knees, unable to scream as she lifts his face up, smiling at him clearly through the veil-like mask where her mouth remains showing her lips, painted white to empathize her ghost-like appearance._

_Then, before anyone could do anything, she had plunged a needle from her holster into his neck and he fell to the floor, deadweight. She discarded the syringe, no longer needing it as she looked pointedly at the others._

_"You bitch." One man said. They all ran. Gunshots rang out and two men hit the ground as another being crouched behind the car, reloading his gun. The woman gassed two more men and rendered them gutless, squirming on the ground with their customer. the last was still trying to fight her, dodging her arms skillfully until she slung her leg around his waist, effectively tripping him and throwing a light powder into his face._

_She quickly ran back to the car, clambering in and removing her mask. Her driver did the same, their faces revealed to be Jonathan Crane and the newly named Dahlia. They smile quickly at each other before taking off._

_As they drive, however, a dark shape swoops at them from behind and Deirdre glares, throwing on a pair of surgical gloves, pulls from the pouch on her belt, and takes another canister, refilling the tins on her wrist, ready if Jonathan can't shake him. A thud lets her know that he's landed on top of the car. She rolls down the window and jolts out quickly spraying the Bat in the face and watching grimly as he rolls away._

_They're safe for now and, as they reach their appointed destination, Jonathan helps her out, carefully placing an arm around her waist and kissing the top of her head. The Narrows weren't exactly safe but, for them, it's the place to be._

_Another successful night as far as they're concerned. The woman yawns and Jonathan picks her up to carry her the rest of the way into an abandoned warehouse. She'll get used to being sleepless soon enough but, for now, he just revels in the moment where she can loop her arms around his neck._

* * *

**One month later**

_There was another drug heist just last week. A meeting two weeks before that lead to three members of a rather unknown gang being permanently brain damaged and one dead._

_It seems that the fear business is going quite well._

_Let's rewind to about five days ago._

_Down in the Narrows, near the bridge, there are thousands of homeless men and women living in abandoned apartment complexes and under porches. There are abusive marriages so, the constant fighting is no factor. The truth is, the police have already searched the building Jonathan and Deirdre are in._

_They just weren't looking in the right places._

_That closet isn't an ordinary closet. Behind the shelf there's another room, one that was supposed to be bricked up due to dangerous toxins in the air._

_Of course, with the immunities that now run through both of their veins, a little pesticide won't hurt these two._

_At the moment, they're both sleeping. It's kind of hard to see exactly what makes them so dangerous when they're entwined so tightly around each other, faces close as they gain a few moments of rest in the constant hell that is now their lives._

_It's hard to see past the innocence of this picture. The man's grip on her is purely possessive, holding her around the waist and high on he shoulders, her leg lightly wrapped around his to keep hem from separating as they sleep mere inches from each other._

_Deirdre isn't wearing her mask, the only thing that now, external at least, sets her apart from her other identity._

_Her arm tightens around Jonathan's waist as she sleeps, causing him to wake._

_Only it's not Jonathan staring at her. The Scarecrow knows by now, like the other two in their very small group, that he cares about Deirdre as much as Jonathan._

_He was fear itself. Terror incarnated in a human form. So, it was hard to imagine him having any real human emotions. Perhaps the rawest. Lust, hatred, rage, everything primal._

_Love?_

_He watches her gently moving shoulders and, his eyes travel upwards, coming to rest on her face._

_There was affection there. Even a surprising yearning to have her around. But the actual thought of loving another creature, anything repulses him. And so we know what attracted him to her in the first place The one woman who would never fear him, only lobe him... scared him._

_Some girls are too smart and easy to get along with. He had promised he wouldn't lie to himself and he does want her. More than Jonathan does most of the time._

_Jonathan is too platonic. He doesn't understand what a girl needs like Scarecrow does. So, while Jonathan is all business, the one who actually listens to her and gives her a few moments of affection, he's the one who actually does all the work to make sure she stays around._

_Back to the present._

_It's Gotham City Cemetery._

_Jonathan stands alone, a Scarecrow mask in his hand. The wind blows and his used to be combed back curls stand up in odd angles from the breeze._

_It's getting close to winter. So what's he doing out here?_

_A dark shadow suddenly leaps over the large, wrought iron fence. The shape comes closer and, we can make out the long, intricately styled french braids, glowing white like a ghost in the moonlight that hits the large hill, covered in gravestones._

_Uncaring of the dead, the woman prances right over tombstones and marble markers to the man, smiling as she reaches into the holster on her leg._

_She pulls out a few small tubes, filled with an unknown powder and Jonathan warmly reaches out to congratulate her with a hug._

_Ecstatic, she returns it then pulls away as he does, their brief moment of affection over. Back to business. Jonathan pulls out another vile, concentrating as he motions to the newly named Dahlia, who understands his meaning and offers him a needle from the small pouch she carries on her belt._

_He quickly drops the powder into his vile and waits._

_Seconds tick by like hours for Dahlia who still doesn't know whether this will end good or bad. Finally, Jonathan seems content with the mixture and plunges the needle into the vile, dragging all of his serum out and looking pointedly at the girl next to him who doesn't hesitate as she holds out her arm._

_The Scarecrow emerges as he notices the fear in her eyes but, does exactly as Jonathan tells him, pulling a piece of elastic from his pocket and wrapping it around the woman's arm, prodding the inner part of her elbow for a vein, then plunging in._

_She squeezes her eyes shut and wearily waits for something to happen. For fear to pulse through her._

_Nothing. Looking back up, she catches the man's eye as he removes the needle and elastic, leaving a small dot of blood behind. Hastily, she pulled her sleeve back down and began to walk with him when something catches her eye._

_The gate that they're going to go over has a scene on it._

_A snake, coiled around the bars, it's large, reptilian head staring at her. The forbidden fruit from Genesis3:3-5 in its mouth._

_Debating for a moment, she held The Scarecrow back as he prepared to climb the fence. Dahlia reaches out and takes hold of the apple, yanking it straight from its rust covered prison. He grins and steps back, gesturing for her to go first then follows soon after._

_Police sirens are head in the distance as they fade into the night and a cool air drifts over Gotham Cemetery._

_Leaves rustle and the sound of rats from ancient crypts can be heard._

_Yet perhaps the most eerie thing of all is at the gate. At dawn, the sun rises high above Gotham to begin a new day._

_And the serpent coiled tightly around the bars, high above the sinners eating the fruit below seems to be smiling._


End file.
